Chapter 63: Journey to Chang'an (Part Two)

In the evening, Luo Ang was strolling through the backyard, accompanying Dong Yuan as they enjoyed the picturesque lake views. Suddenly, a maidservant led Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai over in a hurried manner, reporting, "My Lord, Lord Cheng Yu and Lord Xi Zhicai have arrived."

Luo Ang stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai.

Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai stepped forward quickly, bowed, and said, "My Lord, Lady."

Dong Yuan smiled gently and said, "The two gentlemen need not stand on ceremony."

With that, she looked at Luo Ang and said, "Husband, I shall go take a walk ahead first."

Luo Ang nodded.

Accompanied by her maidservant, Dong Yuan walked on ahead.

Luo Ang looked at Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai, asking, "Zhongde, Zhicai, seeing you two in such an anxious rush, has something happened?"

Cheng Yu replied, "It is nothing major, merely a small matter that requires the Lord's decision."

Saying this, he stepped closer and whispered into Luo Ang's ear.

Luo Ang frowned slightly and gave a wry smile, "I really am rather unlucky. Just when funds are tightest, I have to shell out such a massive sum again! Is this absolutely necessary?"

Xi Zhicai nodded and said, "This expenditure is unavoidable. However, we should be able to recover it in the future."

Luo Ang sighed and said helplessly, "Very well, let it be done then. Oh, my money!"

Looking somewhat worried, Cheng Yu said, "My Lord, someone has already lodged a complaint against today's affair before the Grand Tutor. Perhaps we ought to exercise some restraint. In truth, the treasury could still scrape together this sum. If worst comes to worst, we could trust Gongtai and Ju Shou."

Luo Ang waved his hand and said, "How can we touch the money in the treasury? Otherwise, many undertakings would simply have to be suspended. Moreover, we cannot use the funds from Bingzhou and Youzhou, for I fear the northern barbarians might invade either province, and the financial resources of the two provinces must mutually support one another. I understand the Grand Tutor better than anyone; as long as we give him a share of the benefits, he will never pay heed to anyone's accusations!"

Cheng Yu nodded, cupped his fists, and said, "In that case, this subordinate shall go and make the arrangements."

With that, he and Xi Zhicai bowed to Luo Ang and hurried away.

Ji County. The Prefect's Mansion.

Cai Yan and Diaochan were sitting in the pavilion of the backyard, awaiting news from Luo Ang and Dong Yuan, seeing as they had already been away from Ji County for several months.

At that moment, a maidservant accompanied a soldier as they hurried up to Cai Yan and Diaochan, announcing, "My Ladies, the Marquis of Yan has sent someone with a letter!"

Upon hearing the maidservant's words, Cai Yan and Diaochan's eyes instantly lit up as they looked at the maidservant and the soldier.

Cai Yan said, "Bring the letter here."

The maidservant took the letter from the soldier's hands and handed it to Cai Yan.

Cai Yan said, "You both may withdraw and rest."

The maidservant and the soldier acknowledged the order and then retired.

Cai Yan immediately opened the letter and began reading it together with Diaochan.

Diaochan remarked, "It seems we were worrying needlessly; Husband has been safe all along."

Cai Yan sighed, "Indeed! Yet Husband never writes to us of his own accord to let us know whether he is safe."

An inspiration struck Diaochan, and she said, "Elder sister, I have an idea. We can make Husband write us a letter every month so that we always know he is safe."

Cai Yan placed the letter on the stone table, looked at Diaochan, and asked, "What idea?"

Diaochan replied, "We can write to Husband and instruct him to send us a letter every month, keeping us informed of his safety."

Hearing this, Cai Yan felt it was a very good idea and said, "Very well, we shall do as you say, sister. I shall write the letter right now and have someone deliver it to Husband."

Luoyang.

Time slipped away unnoticed, and the day for the journey to Chang'an arrived.

Luo Ang settled all matters in Luoyang, leaving Cheng Lian behind in Luoyang while personally leading Zhang He, Song Xian, and eight hundred men of the Black-Clad Guard, along with a dozen carts laden with goods, out of Luoyang and toward Chang'an.

During the Eastern Han dynasty, the region from Chang'an to Luoyang was designated as the Sili Xiaowei Department, belonging to the imperial capital region.

This was Luo Ang's first time traveling to Chang'an of this era, and his heart was filled with yearning for this legendary ancient capital that had witnessed the unification of China and countless moments of glory.

Involuntarily, a doubt arose in Luo Ang's mind: I wonder if the present Chang'an is as desolate and ruined as described in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*? Yet, if Chang'an were truly as dilapidated as depicted in the novel, given Dong Zhuo's personality, would he have abandoned the prosperous Luoyang to move the capital to such a ruined Chang'an?

The entourage proceeded westward along the official highway, and before sunset, a moderately sized walled city appeared before their eyes.

This city was Gucheng, a small county town situated dozens of li west of Luoyang.

Though small, bathed in the lingering glow of the setting sun, the town was filled with an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

Peasants could be seen humming tunes while driving their plow oxen home, smoke curled lazily from chimneys in distant villages, and travelers and merchants on the official road quickened their pace, hoping to enter the city before the gates closed.

Luo Ang's procession moved along the official highway, overtaking a small caravan consisting of two carts.

Before long, they finally entered the city just before the gates were shut.

Hearing that the Marquis of Yan had arrived, the county magistrate rushed out to welcome him.

Shortly afterward, guided personally by the magistrate, the party entered the post station within the county town and settled in to rest.

Just as Luo Ang was preparing to take Song Xian and Zhang He into the city to find a tavern for dinner, the magistrate returned with an ingratiating expression, saying to Luo Ang, "The grand arrival of the Marquis of Yan brings immense honor to our humble district!"

Luo Ang smiled and said, "The magistrate need not stand on ceremony. I am merely passing through; you need not be so nervous."

The magistrate nodded submissively and told Luo Ang, "This subordinate has already prepared a banquet at the county office, and I beseech the Marquis of Yan to honor us with his presence."

Hearing this, Luo Ang felt it would be impolite to refuse, and realizing it was just the right time for dinner—a banquet delivered to his doorstep was too good to pass up—he said, "The magistrate is certainly thoughtful! Very well, let us go."

Overjoyed, the magistrate bowed and said, "This subordinate will lead the way for the Marquis of Yan."

Late into the night, Luo Ang, Song Xian, Dong Yuan, and Zhang He finally returned to the post station, seen off by the magistrate.

The magistrate stood respectfully at the entrance until Luo Ang, Song Xian, Dong Yuan, and Zhang He had all entered the post station, after which he led his subordinate bailiffs back to the county office.

A gust of night wind blew past Luo Ang, dissipating most of the alcohol-induced haze.

Early the next morning, seen off by the Gucheng magistrate, Luo Ang, Song Xian, Dong Yuan, and Zhang He departed Gucheng and continued their journey westward.

Near noon, the procession passed through continuous stretches of villages and farmland, arriving outside the walls of Chang'an.

Suddenly, a colossal city, grander in scale than even Luoyang, manifested before their eyes.

Seeing this, Luo Ang was greatly surprised, for the city before him bore no resemblance to the desolate wasteland depicted in Luo Guanzhong's *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

Although Chang'an's official roads were not as bustling and prosperous as those of Luoyang, the overall impression the city gave was one of considerable majesty, completely incompatible with desolation and ruin.

Observing the reality before him, Luo Ang quickly realized that Luo Guanzhong had based his descriptions on historical records of earlier dynasties, supplemented by his own imagination.

In ancient times, agricultural issues inevitably impacted the economy, because only abundant grain could sustain a sufficient population, and only a sufficient population could stimulate commercial prosperity.

With the decline of agriculture, the population of the Guanzhong region had shown a year-on-year downward trend, causing the economy of Guanzhong not only to stagnate for years but also to remain in a state of continuous regression. Consequently, relying solely on the cities of Guanzhong could no longer sustain a massive population and support the armies defending the capital.

Meanwhile, transporting grain from other regions into Guanzhong was a long and perilous road, far more difficult than one could imagine; for every ten piculs of rice transported, only a single picul would finally make it into Guanzhong, resulting in staggering losses.

For the entire state, this constituted an overwhelmingly heavy burden.

Simultaneously, the economy of the Central Plains region, centered around Luoyang, was developing rapidly and growing increasingly prosperous. If the capital were established in Luoyang, those problems would be readily solved.

Against this backdrop, relocating the capital to Luoyang naturally became a logical course of action.

Of course, economic factors were not the sole reason Liu Xiu chose Luoyang as his capital; it was also related to the political and military situation of the time and the base from which Liu Xiu rose to power.