Hearing these words, Xie An merely sneered, his meaning unmistakable: *Let us hear how you try to talk your way out of this.*
"Master Dongshan, my elder brother Jili's discourse on 'sweeping clear the Great Jin' was originally intended to carry on the life's work of his granduncle—to rectify the corruption of the great clans and scholar-gentry culture, restoring the Great Jin to glory," Liu Cheng said loudly, seated upon the folding stool. "Yet to my mind, the realm is broken and the court has abandoned the north entirely. The various clans are crowded together like hedgehog quills across Jingzhou and Jiangzuo, without even room to maneuver. Finances are dire and official posts are scarce. Arbitrarily purging the great clans would only destroy the very foundation of the Great Jin... Thus, my notion of 'sweeping' lies first in bringing order to the north, expelling the barbarian tribes, and restoring the old institutions to give the realm breathing room. Only then would an internal purge have even the slimmest chance of success."
Xie An put away his earlier sneer and gave a serious nod.
Whatever else might be said, for a youth of this age to possess such insight already surpassed many scions of great families, including his own nephews.
At the very least, this fellow understood that politics could not rely solely on brute force; it demanded room to maneuver in finance, military power, statecraft, and even geography.
"If you knew your brother Jili's ambition was somewhat delusional, why didn't you try to dissuade him?" Xie An asked in all sincerity. He truly wished someone would talk some sense into Liu Jili; the man's state of mind had been positively frightening.
"Master Dongshan, if one could dissuade a person simply because their ambitions are in vain, why did Master Ji go to his death? Why did Zhuge Kongming march repeatedly out of Mount Qi? Why did our dynasty's Zu Shizhi strike the midstream oars, and why did Liu Yueshi let tempered steel be softened to wrap around a finger? Did none of the men of vision around them know that their ambitions were eight or nine parts destined to fail?" Liu Cheng countered in a flurry of questions, speaking with ease and eloquence. "I know little of Brother Jili's granduncle, but over these years, as far as I know, he has drifted between Jingkou and Jiankang. Though born of a great clan, he was displaced and destitute, unable even to secure food and clothing, lingering at the bottom of society year in and year out. He watched fellow gentry who once shared his table travel with axe-bearers clearing the way, while their slightest whim left common folk freezing and starving. An indignation had long festered in his chest... To expect him to cast aside his hopeless ambition will hardly be so easy, will it?"
"So that is how it is." Xie An nodded, touched with emotion, yet his tone shifted. "In that case, let me ask you, Liu Cheng—do you realize that your 'sweeping' by first ordering the north is also nothing more than a hopeless ambition?"
Liu Cheng fell silent, and remained silent for a long time. Although he had treated this meeting with Xie An as a momentous matter before coming, he had never believed it would have any decisive impact on his destiny.
This body of his was still very young, fifteen or sixteen, and he was using an assumed name from the lowest tier of the gentry. There was no reason for the other party to elevate him to high heaven over a single conversation, enabling him to marry into wealth and beauty and reach the pinnacle of life.
As things stood, that was indeed the case.
The man had shown little enthusiasm even in conversing with him, acting more as though: *Since you're already in this state, I will just go through the motions and help you out as best I can, if only to save future entanglements.*
So, faced with such an attitude and at such a juncture, was there any need to bare his true inner thoughts and outlook on life?
His fundamental goals had already been achieved: obtaining Xie An's recognition of his gentry status, securing a future as a company commander or the like for Liu Huzi, and then continuing to run his refugee camp and develop his fortified manor. What more was there to chase?
On the other side, Xie An was indeed growing somewhat impatient. He remembered he still had a lesson to teach, yet it was awkward to chase his guest away.
"Lord Xie." Right at this moment, Liu Cheng suddenly shifted to a curious form of address. Xie An was barely thirty this year and had never entered government service; by no measure did the title fit him, yet Liu Cheng used it anyway. "I have words from the bottom of my heart... In truth, this junior has always known that whether it is ordering the north or rectifying the ways of the scholar-gentry, this so-called 'sweeping clear the realm' under our present situation—I dare not say it is one in ten thousand, yet it is barely possible."
Xie An narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling yet not smiling, and propped his hands back on his knees. "Well said, but isn't there still some hope for the Northern Expedition? I merely said your ambition was in vain."
"It is all the same," Liu Cheng replied calmly. "After all, the ambition of a Northern Expedition is the most crucial part of my ambition to sweep clear the realm. If one is vain, all is vain; if one is false, all is false."
"Above and below, the court and people all turn their hearts northward. Everyone believes the Grand Commander suffered merely a minor setback, while Shi Zhao crumbles day by day and those surrendering grow ever more prominent, so it will not harm the prospects of the Northern Expedition." Xie An grew slightly more solemn. He suddenly remembered that this youth, who understood that Master Ji ought not be discussed, had only recently returned from the north; perhaps he truly possessed some unique insight.
"That the Northern Expedition cannot succeed boils down, in my view, to nothing more than two crucial points," Liu Cheng answered. "First, the north's military strength, economy, and population are actually far greater than the south's; so long as some hero can unite four or five parts of it, that is enough to resist the south. Second, even with such a prime opportunity as Shi Zhao collapsing from within, the southern great clans have long fallen into degeneration. Affairs of state have all been reduced to factional self-interest. They can neither unite as one, seize the moment, and push north with combined strength, nor can they select the worthy and capable, placing those who are pragmatic and know warfare at the forefront... In such a state, failure is only natural."
This was a blunt, uncompromising answer. Especially the remarks regarding the south: first, they took the degeneration of the southern great clans as a given fact; second, against the backdrop of Xie An's cousin controlling the Western Headquarters and his dying brother-in-law having previously controlled the Northern Garrison, they pointed out that these men were neither pragmatic nor knowledgeable in warfare—bordering on a slap in the face.
Yet Xie An knew better than anyone that this was precisely the crux of the matter. It was also the conclusion he had reached after these months of bustling back and forth.
There simply was no unity. With Jingzhou and Yangzhou at each other's throats like this, and the two factions within Yangzhou squabbling to such an extent, speaking of unity was downright ridiculous! Nor did they know warfare—not only Chu Pou, but even Yin Hao, the eager 'Kongming of today,' and his own cousin. Xie An had no faith in any of them now... And yet, a northern expedition was where popular sentiment lay; success in it brought immense prestige. Even Cai Mo, who was convinced the northern expedition was doomed to fail, had merely chosen to avoid taking office rather than persist in opposing the campaign. What could Xie An say?
At this thought, though Xie Anshi had inwardly agreed with the youth again and again, he could only rebuff him for speaking out of turn: "Whether the great clans have degenerated, and whether high ministers understand warfare or are pragmatic, is not for you to say!"
"Was it not Lord Xie who asked me to explain why my own ambition is in vain?" Liu Cheng replied with a smile.
"Then speak only of your own ambition," Xie An cautioned him earnestly. "Do not drag other matters into it."
"Understood." Liu Cheng bowed with folded hands, then sat back down, holding his head high and chest out, speaking with composure. "Thus, if one wishes to sweep clear the realm, a successful Northern Expedition is essential: holding the north to clear the south.
"Yet for a Northern Expedition to succeed, one must seize the moment when the north collapses, unite as one as far as possible, and pour all strength into marching north.
"And for an individual to accomplish this, one can only speak of it if one possesses a foundation such as General Huan of the West's Jingzhou or Governor Yin of Yangzhou's Yangzhou.
"And to possess such a foundation, one must have either renown like Governor Yin's, or military achievements like General Huan's.
"The former is out of the question. Even for the latter, it requires prestige, troops, and fortune stacked layer upon layer. Most crucial of all, under the current military system, one must have people one can trust implicitly to command troops on one's behalf...
"Leaving aside the Feng and Pei clansmen of Emperor Gaozu of Han in ancient times, and speaking only of today's customs, such trustworthy people are almost always kin of one's own clan... Take General Huan of the West: his father's generation gained renown through Pure Talk and Dark Learning, and in his generation he has dozens of brothers and nephews who can hold up the family's stature. It is similar in Lord Xie's household: accumulating slowly and bursting forth, the younger generation in this courtyard are all like fragrant orchids and noble trees; in another ten or twenty years, their canopy will spread like clouds... It is really no wonder that flourishing great clans look down upon solitary, minor households. On this point alone, no matter how great an individual's achievements, a man from an isolated family could give his all and still never shoulder the greater situation."
"Your Pengcheng Liu clan is actually even more deeply rooted and widespread than our Xie clan, and they may not be beyond your use. I see that Liu Jili places great trust in you," said Xie An, who had been listening raptly until the youth mentioned his own family, only then coming back to himself with a laugh. "You are only fifteen or sixteen. If you can unite the Pengcheng Liu clan, you might well carve out an enterprise."
"I thought so as well, and I have acted accordingly," Liu Cheng admitted frankly. "Yet Lord Xie, even if the Pengcheng Liu clan were united as one, why should they attach themselves to me? I am not saying it is impossible, only that treating wishful thinking as a guaranteed future is sheer delusion... And that is the heart of the matter. Think, Lord Xie: from my present circumstances to the ambition of sweeping clear the realm, I dare not say every single step and tier is an insurmountable hurdle—yet what if they are stacked together?
"When stacked together, it means every single step and tier must succeed without fail. Is that not an impossibility, a castle in the air, a hopeless ambition?"
"So after saying all this and arguing at length, you have merely proven one point: your ambition is exceedingly difficult to achieve. Is that it?" Xie An could not help but laugh heartily.
At this moment, he truly found this youth interesting. Discussing these matters with him was just as engaging as engaging in Pure Talk with famed scholars.
Moreover, the youth gave him a faint sense of familiarity, though for the moment, he could not recall whom he resembled.
"Lord Xie's challenge is spot on," Liu Cheng laughed as well. "When Lord Xie asked of my ambition, I said it was to sweep clear the Great Jin—specifically by conquering the north and purging the south to settle the realm, entirely different from Brother Jili's. Lord Xie then asked if I knew my ambition, like Brother Jili's, was in vain, and I said I knew... At that point, the matter should have been laughed off. Yet I insisted on explaining layer by layer why my ambition is so hopeless... But there was no other way, for this is the final premise of my ambition. Without this point, I would not have spoken to Lord Xie in such detail."
Xie An lifted his knees once more and laid his deer-tail whisk horizontally, peering at the youth through its crimson animal hair, as if trying to discern clearly whom this boy resembled.
"Lord Xie, I know well that my ambition is in vain. In private, I often think that such things cannot be accomplished in a lifetime, and that I would be better off becoming a manor lord, living carefree and untroubled. Yet I also often wonder: if this hopeless ambition, built step by step like a flight of stairs, remains in my heart, and if one day an opportunity arises to advance even a single pace, should I abandon my notion of self-preservation in a fortified manor and seize the momentum to step upward?" Liu Cheng answered slowly. "I have thought on it for a long time, and I believe I would take that step forward... Regardless of whether that step serves the greater situation, and regardless of whether the hopeless ambition remains just as hopeless after taking it, I must take it. Otherwise, my heart will never be at peace."
Having reached this point, Liu Cheng rose and bowed. "Lord Xie, today's meeting is precisely the opportunity to step forward onto that path. For the sake of my hopeless ambition, I beg you to grant me the patronage to take this step and cut off my retreat into manor self-preservation. Liu Cheng will be eternally grateful."
Xie An finally realized whom the person before him resembled.
It was not one person, but a blend of two... One was none other than Huan Wen, General Huan of the West, whom the youth had repeatedly mentioned. Yet Huan Wen was already thirty-seven or thirty-eight after all, so there was another figure that faintly aligned with him—a youth outwardly magnanimous but inwardly stubborn to the core, possessing an uncanny maturity far beyond his years.
What was fascinating was that this boy was distinctly different from both of them.
This conclusion did not mean Xie An had begun to appreciate the youth. On the contrary, just as he had disliked Liu Jili earlier, he disliked the youth before him now, for this boy's ambitions similarly weighed upon one's chest with a suffocating dread.
Moreover, he had never claimed to admire Huan Wen or that other precocious youth.
He disliked all of them.
Yet Xie Anshi had no intention of suppressing anyone over this. That was not his nature. Besides, in this modest corner of Jiangzuo alone, there were already far too many helpless people and frustrating matters; if he sought to crush everyone who rubbed him the wrong way, he would likely be the one crushed to death.
Furthermore, he already knew where to dispatch this fellow... He had originally intended to recommend him to Xun Xian, but now he had changed his mind. A person like this was unsuited to be exposed at the forefront so early.
"You are too young; at this age, you ought to be pursuing your studies," Xie An said, setting down the whisk. Taking up the brush and paper that Liu Jili had previously set aside, he lifted the brush over the armrest table and began to write. "Of course, many scions of great families fall short of you in insight, experience, and temperament; at this age, they would have already received summons for numerous prestigious offices... I recommended Liu Jili to Lord Cai, but that does not suit you. In any case, you are a solitary youth; rather than drifting in Jingkou, you would be better off going to Kuaiji. With your intelligence, you will surely be like an awl in a pouch—your sharpness will show through of its own accord... This is a letter of recommendation. I cannot go to Kuaiji until after the new year, but you may go ahead and seek out Xi Linhai. First, his family has children about your age, so perhaps you may study alongside them; second, given the Gaoping Xi clan's standing in Jingkou, at worst they can enable you to return and establish a fortified manor here; third, since your ambitions lie in the north and you hold little faith in this Northern Expedition, befriending the Xi family may allow you one day to accomplish something in the Northern Garrison."
As he spoke, he slipped the letter into an envelope, then waved a hand. "There are calling cards over there; take one yourself, then strike the flint to light that candle and bring it over."
Even though Liu Cheng had been somewhat prepared, hearing that he was being recommended to the head of the Gaoping Xi clan gave him a great jolt of excitement. He hurriedly bustled about as told... After all, at the very worst, even if he accomplished nothing there, by virtue of Xie An's favor, when they sent him back they would surely grant him some future post, such as a registrar in an emigre commandery's revenue section, would they not?
With that sort of backing, just as Xie An said, raising a fortified manor in Jingkou would be simple.
Not to mention, if he made a name for himself in the Xi family or among the famed gentlemen of Kuaiji, his prospects would truly be boundless.
Thus, watching Xie An drip wax to seal the envelope and hand it across, Liu Cheng could not help bowing again in all sincerity: "Lord Xie's grace will never be forgotten."
Xie An nodded indifferently and waved him out.
Returning to the side courtyard, he ran straight into Liu Jili, who was still pacing in circles. Seeing Liu Cheng return, he rushed forward to ask, "How did it go? What did he say?"
Liu Cheng did not put on airs; he simply smiled and nodded.
"What did he actually say?" Liu Jili pressed impatiently. "It only just occurred to me that you're too young to be given a proper post. Did he have you join me as a student under Lord Cai?"
Liu Cheng shook his head and chuckled. "He gave me a different place of fosterage—to serve as a retainer of the Xi family."
Liu Jili froze, then beamed with delight. "That is already wonderful!"
And was it not? In essence, Liu Cheng was a completely displaced person, homeless and without backing, at an awkward age. Saying he was fostered with his kinsman Lord Ren was just a polite way of putting it; he was merely a retainer in Lord Ren's household, as was Liu Jili. Moving from Lord Ren's house to the Xi family, masters of Jingkou, was a monumental step up.
At this point, Liu Jili whispered, "I was recommended to former Excellency Cai Mo as a student. Much the same path."
Liu Cheng was even more elated. Just as he was about to speak, clamor arose once more from the courtyard behind them, signaling that lessons were about to resume. He merely nodded in agreement: "Keep your composure for now. Let's collect our payment, head back to Lord Ren, have him take over the camp, and send Huzi with the tiger pelt. We'll settle this matter cleanly and properly."
Liu Jili nodded repeatedly. "My thoughts exactly."
Thus, the two gathered their thoughts and fetched their carrying poles, sending word to hurry Steward Qian along. After some back and forth, Steward Qian finally returned and finalized the matter of the dyed paper, paying them their silver and coins. Only then could Liu Jili and Liu Cheng not resist telling him that they might not come in person in the future; they would have the wagon escorts come in their stead, and he could settle accounts with them as usual, with everything proceeding as before.
Steward Qian naturally had no objections. Especially upon learning the two had prospects ahead, he grew even more courteous, perhaps even breathing a silent sigh of relief.
Having wrapped up these matters, they stepped out of the storeroom and returned to the side courtyard. The sky remained overcast. Across two courtyard walls, the clamor continued as before, and Xie An's voice rang out once again. The two were still wondering whether to listen in on another lesson.
Yet after sitting for barely a moment, neither could hold still.
Liu Jili was too concerned with appearances to say it aloud, but Liu Cheng saw it clearly and was about to speak with a chuckle.
Yet the moment he opened his mouth, a blast of icy wind swept in from the northwest, filling his mouth with freezing air. Across the two walls, everything fell into disarray as well.
After a moment, once the cold gust passed, Liu Jili asked, "What were you saying just now?"
"I was saying: *Good wind, lend me your frequent strength to send me up into the blue clouds!*" Liu Cheng replied, invoking a poem for good fortune.
Liu Jili laughed. "Indeed! This time we truly caught the pure breeze of Xie Dongshan and soared into the sky with ease..."
He pointed a finger upward.
Liu Cheng followed his gesture and looked up. The sky was still the same somber gray it had been all day. The only difference was this wind: as the chill wind whipped up, motes of dust danced in the air, landing on his face with an icy chill.
He looked back down, about to ask Liu Jili if they should just leave rather than pretending to listen to a lesson.
Yet the words never left his lips. The youth clearly realized something and looked up once more. Sensing something amiss, Liu Jili slowly lifted his head as well. Gradually, the smiles faded from both their faces, until they gazed at each other in silence, their expressions complex.
Just then, across the two walls, the courtyard that had only just quieted down grew noisy once more, finally settling under Xie An's calls for order. Then, their faces stiff, the two Lius heard Xie Anshi—ever ready to instruct his nephews and nieces at any time or place—ask:
"Look, as the white snow suddenly begins to swirl and fall, what could one compare it to?"
Snow was rare in the south. The Xie clan children had been full of excitement, but under their teacher's test, they fell utterly silent.
After a moment, it was Xie Lang, also known as Xie Ahu—who loved showing off and fancied himself a prodigy—who spoke up: "Perhaps it might be compared to scattering salt in the air."
Before Xie An could comment, Xie Daoyun's voice rang out: "To my mind, it were better said: *Willow catkins rising on the wind!*"
Xie An burst into hearty laughter on the spot, laughing with boundless delight.
White snow swirled, arriving without warning. After two years, snow had fallen upon Jiangzuo once more—a heavy, sudden blizzard.
Expressionless, the two Lius went to Changganli to pay their customary fee. On their way back, a thin sheet of white slush had already coated the ground. Those with storefronts were a minority; many peddlers who had entered the city paying the tithe tax looked up at the sky and sighed, yet could not bear to return home just like that. They could only shiver at the roadside, pacing back and forth to keep warm, hoping to sell a few more goods.
Passing through the Three Hurdles Gate and heading north, conditions outside the city walls were still manageable. Guards were patrolling along Jiankang's palisade... Though the patrolling soldiers were visibly timid and cowering, looking hardly like soldiers at all, the path was at least clear.
Until the two Lius reached Jiangsheng.
Jiangsheng bordered Jiankang on the north side of Jingkou Road, already falling within the broader scope of Jingkou. The refugees here were still relatively few compared to those farther east, yet the scenes the two had anticipated had already begun to unfold. Especially now, the snowflakes fell thicker and heavier, blanketing heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers. The refugees who had previously begged and wandered around Jiangsheng had all vanished, with no telling where they had fled.
Yet they could have had no good shelter. For those refugees one tier above them—those who had followed Lord Ren here, possessing some work opportunities yet lacking fixed dwellings—soon came into view.
Their shacks were buried thick under snow. Their people, young and old, weak and strong, huddled in the corners of those shelters. A very few pillars of their households, clad only in unlined clothes stuffed with straw, walked about, seemingly searching for fuel or hoping that their Huai River neighbors of the Liu clan might open their earthen doors and allow the women and children inside to take shelter.
Shouldering their loads, the two Lius stood atop a small knoll beside the main road, gazing from afar, for a time not daring to descend. Snow had already gathered upon their crimson headcloths, shoulders, and crude carrying poles... For they knew full well that once they walked down, while Liu Ren Gong would certainly agree to return to camp, and while many former camp folk could be taken in and saved, far more would have to be firmly turned away. The money and grain of their camp were limited after all.
"Where is there any falling salt, let alone willow catkins? It is clearly raining knives," Liu Jili said, his expression bleak.
"Speaking purely of poetic sentiment, willow catkins remain the finest," Liu Cheng replied, maintaining his objective appraisal as always.
So saying, he began walking toward the Jiangsheng settlement ahead. On the snowy slope, he stumbled and barely caught his footing, then stopped at the crossroad below. Turning back to look at his companion, who had still not moved, he sighed: "Brother Jili, when I studied the poems of the ancients in the past, I never understood their true brilliance. Only today, having seen this with my own eyes, do I realize that some poems are truly the words of a sage."
Liu Jili was still bewildered. "What poem? What words of a sage?"
"'Could I but bring ten thousand grand halls into being, to broadly shelter the impoverished scholars of the realm in joy, unmoving in wind and rain, stable as a mountain!'" Liu Cheng chanted loudly under Liu Jili's near-astonished gaze as he shouldered his load and walked downward. "'Alas! When before my eyes this towering hall appears, though my hut alone be wrecked and I freeze to death, I would be content!'"
His voice was so loud that it pierced right through the falling snow.
***
Grand Tutor Xie gathered his household on a cold day to discuss the meanings of literature with his children and nephews. Soon the snow fell heavily. The Duke said with delight, "What might the fluttering white snow resemble?" His brother's son, Hu'er, said, "Scattering salt in the air may roughly compare." His brother's daughter said, "Nothing like willow catkins rising on the wind." The Duke laughed heartily with joy.
—*A New Account of Tales of the World*, "Speech," Section Two
Taizu, the High Emperor, returned from Jiankang and was about to depart for Kuaiji when the snow suddenly fell heavily. At that time, Chu Pou had failed in his northern campaign and fallen gravely ill from grief and indignation. Factions vied for power at court, and tens of thousands of refugees in Jingkou received no relief, freezing stiff on either side of the highway. Liu Lang, who was at his side, looked to Taizu and said, "The swirling white snow is all like knives; without our efforts, not even our Pengcheng neighbors would have survived, which is enough to comfort ourselves." Taizu sighed, "Could I but bring ten thousand grand halls into being, to broadly shelter the impoverished scholars of the realm in joy, unmoving in wind and rain, stable as a mountain!" Lang was deeply ashamed and said, "Only today do I hear the words of a sage."
—*Old Qi*, Basic Annals, Volume 1: Basic Annals of Taizu, the High Emperor, Part One
Chapter 36