Chapter 116: Truly, It

"When the charcoal kiln collapsed, over a hundred charcoal workers died a wrongful death. Only my ancestor Shaojun was fortunate enough to survive."

Dou Rong rambled on about how his seventh-generation ancestor Dou Guangguo had been sold off as a child, reduced to a slave digging coal, and nearly buried alive when a black coal kiln caved in — that was the origin of the Pingling Dou clan, who two hundred years ago had also been Han imperial in-laws.

But after Emperor Wu of Han, this branch of the family had declined, until Dou Rong's generation rose anew and became fresh nobility of the Xin.

——————

Your ancestor just didn't run into a coal boss with a conscience like me, Diwu Lun answered with his mouth while thinking: "This just shows that Marquis Zhangwu had great fortune protecting him."

Dou Rong laughed. "Not at all. It was only because he was young and weak, and when they fought for sleeping spots he got pushed out to the edge of the kiln — that's the only reason he survived."

Dou Rong lowered his voice and said to Diwu Lun alone: "Boyu, could it be you still resent me for stealing credit?"

Diwu Lun hurriedly said: "Why would the Duke of Zhou say such a thing? With my mere few hundred men in one camp, how could I have made several thousand barbarian horsemen retreat? It truly was thanks to the Duke of Zhou coming south in time. Had it been some other colonel who dawdled on the road for days, the consequences don't bear thinking about."

Dou Rong sighed. "But the fact remains that I divided Boyu's merit. The General of Renewal even assigned part of Liangqiu Ci's old force for me to command. I feel ashamed of it in my heart."

"But Boyu need not worry. I have already written to the Grand Minister of Works, setting forth Boyu's achievements, in hopes that he might put in a few good words for Boyu when the court bestows its rewards."

First warmth, then claiming the same hometown, then telling stories to draw closer to Diwu Lun — and now he was starting to bring out his backers, recruiting Diwu Lun.

Diwu Lun had already sensed Dou Rong's intent. Could this fellow also have his eye on New Qinzhong?

"So having a patron makes you something special, huh." That's right, it really does, Diwu Lun thought sourly. This motley army of his, raised by a stepmother, truly had it rough.

With his three moves played out, Dou Rong felt he had shown his sincerity, and needed no promise from Diwu Lun. Seeing that the wind and snow outside had ceased, he took his leave and departed the fort. Only at parting did he say to Diwu Lun: "I have long heard that Boyu loves his soldiers, and I too love soldiers. Boyu opens up farmland, and I too open up farmland. In every matter, you and I time and again coincide without prior accord, and our aspirations are close as well — truly, I regret not having met you sooner. If in the future we can work together for a long time, I hope Boyu will give me much guidance."

With these words, he said his farewells and left.

On the journey back, Dou Rong was in excellent spirits. Having come to see for himself, he was convinced that Diwu Lun was indeed fine material for a frontier commander, keeping the broken border walls and beacon towers in perfect order.

"This realm under Heaven is also much like a charcoal kiln that no one knows when it might collapse. Once it caves in, every official civil and military in the court will be crushed to death."

"And I too should learn from my ancestor — sleep a little toward the edge. It may seem colder, but in truth it is safer."

The Grand Minister of Works, Wang Yi, had already written back, saying that Dou Rong's ennoblement and promotion were nailed down. His plan to remain in New Qinzhong was mostly in place, and barring the unexpected, Diwu Lun should be able to serve as a colonel under General Dou.

"In every matter, Boyu coincides with me, and he has long enjoyed renown, winning much affection from the people of New Qinzhong. If I can gain his aid — drilling the troops, practicing battle archery, defending against the Qiang and barbarians without, cultivating benevolent governance within — would not my plan to preserve my clan on the Hexi frontier be all the easier to achieve!"

……

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the eleventh month. The first year of Dihuang was about to pass, and the rewards from the court at last reached the frontier.

Unexpectedly, the person who came this time to bestow the Emperor's rewards was, apart from a palace eunuch, also a marquis: the Marquis of Zhande, Wang Sa.

Diwu Lun of course knew nothing of this man, but mention Wang Sa's paternal aunt, and there was no one who did not know her — she was Wang Zhaojun, who had been married to the Xiongnu for peace during the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han. After Wang Zhaojun became the symbol of Han–Xiongnu amity, her family also soared to prominence. By Wang Mang's time, two of Zhaojun's elder brother's sons were enfeoffed as marquises — one called the Marquis of Peace Marriage, the other the Marquis of Zhande — and dispatched back and forth to the Xiongnu. They were considered the representatives of the pro-peace faction at court.

The Marquis of Zhande, Wang Sa, had twice traveled to the Xiongnu and was thoroughly familiar with the border. When his mission reached the frontier, Diwu Lun and Dou Rong crossed the river to Tewu County to pay their respects to Wang Sa.

This noisy northern campaign, waged with the strength of the whole realm, had ended in a dismal finish. Han Wei's entire army was wiped out — some said dead, some said surrendered — and Wang Mang dispatched the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties to hurry to the frontier to investigate. Looking across the ten-thousand-li border, the sole bright spot was this defensive counterattack in New Qinzhong, which had at least taken "several thousand" barbarian heads.

Diwu Lun was taken aback. The headcount that had already doubled at Lian Dan's place had, after a spin through the capital, been doubled and redoubled again for public proclamation — after all, the Emperor had to save face too.

This had the effect of raising the reward grades for Dou Rong and Diwu Lun considerably. Wang Sa smiled and said: "When His Majesty heard of Han Wei's lost army, he cried out that the Swallowing-Barbarians General had been sent in error. Then he heard that two colonels had turned the tide and routed the barbarians in a great victory, and could not help but rejoice. He issued the rewards on the spot."

"You are both simultaneously advanced in peerage to Count!"

The Xin had revived the Zhou dynasty's five-rank peerage system. Both of them had previously been Barons; now they skipped Viscount entirely and rose two ranks.

Too fast — truly too fast.

And according to Xin dynasty tradition, different titles were given for different campaigns. Generally, those who fought the Western Qiang at Xihai Commandery received titles with the character "Qiang"; those who suppressed uprisings received "Wu"; those who exterminated rebel subjects received "Lu"; those connected to the walled cities of the Western Regions received "Hu."

It was said that back in the day, the court had debated for three days and three nights whether the title character for those with merit against the Xiongnu should be "Nu" or "Di"! In Wang Mang's view, this was no small matter. Had not the Master said: "What is necessary is to rectify names!"

Thus Dou Rong received the title "Count Who Exterminates the Nu."

Diwu Lun became "Count Who Subdues the Nu."

If they had been exterminating rebel subjects, he would have been "Count Who Subdues the Lu." Diwu Lun did not know whether to laugh or cry, and consoled himself only with: "Still sounds better than 'Baron Who Stabilizes the Li.'"

The two successfully advanced from the ranks of the five or six hundred "Barons" into the "Counts," who numbered only a bit over two hundred peers of the same grade. Diwu Lun and Dou Rong expressed their gratitude, but in their hearts they thought little of it. Titles and such — unless one was directly enfeoffed as a High Duke, they were not worth worrying about. There were no actual benefits of land and enfeoffment; the names merely sounded fine.

What they cared about most were their actual posts. For all that Wang Mang scattered noble titles with extreme largesse, when it came to real authority, he was exceedingly stingy.

Then they heard Wang Sa finish reading the edict: "You two, having achieved merit in defending the land, are both appointed Deputy General!"

Dou Rong was stunned. In his thinking, it was only natural that he be made Deputy General, while Diwu Lun would at most be confirmed from acting colonel to full colonel — just right to serve as his subordinate. Who would have thought the two of them would end up at the same rank? Could it be that the Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi had misunderstood his intent and spoken too highly of Diwu Lun?

Diwu Lun was also somewhat taken aback. He had assumed he would hold the post of colonel until the realm fell into chaos; who would have thought he would advance another rank? Wang Mang was acting out of character this time — why so generous?

A Deputy General could have two colonels under his command. Did this mean he could expand his army to ten thousand men? How could this script feel like a dream?

Wang Sa saw their astonishment and explained: "His Majesty is troubled that the barbarians are not yet pacified, that the savages disturb the Xia, while bandits spring up on all sides. Wishing once more to suppress them, he issued a decree, deciding to set up the Canopy and establish the Dipper Offering, consulting the precedents of former men, and modeling it on the military system of the time when the August First Ancestor, the Yellow Emperor, settled the realm."

"Thus he established five Grand Marshals, twenty-five Grand Generals, one hundred twenty-five Assistant Generals, and one thousand two hundred fifty Deputy Generals."

Diwu Lun and Dou Rong were truly stunned. Wait — over a thousand? Are the generals in your house like vegetables at market, sold by the head?

Wang Sa continued: "Below them, there are twelve thousand five hundred Colonels, thirty-seven thousand five hundred Majors, one hundred twelve thousand five hundred Company Commanders, one million two hundred twenty-five thousand Centurions, four hundred fifty thousand Non-Commissioned Officers…"

"Extrapolating thus, the total for the whole realm should be thirteen million five hundred thousand soldiers!"

Diwu Lun had always prided himself on his control of his expression, but now his mouth simply would not close.

In his previous life, he had often seen people online mocking the ancient "million-man army" as unrealistic.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Wang Mang could conjure up a ten-million-man army for you! This was counting every able-bodied man in the whole realm.

Although he knew it was only a nominal figure, and in reality they could not conscript even a tenth of that, it was still enough to shake Diwu Lun for a whole year.

Wang Mang, oh Wang Mang — it really is just like you, never playing by the rules!

Wang Sa added: "Thereupon His Majesty established the positions of Grand Marshal of the Front, Rear, Left, Right, and Center, bestowing the title of Grand General upon the Provincial Shepherds, making the commandery Governors, Company Commanders, and Grand Governors into Assistant Generals, the subordinate Prefects into Deputy Generals, and the County Magistrates into Colonels."

No wonder the general's commissions were handed out so generously this time — a rising tide lifts all boats. If even a petty County Magistrate was now a Colonel, how could they not be promoted?

Diwu Lun's delight instantly vanished. Wang Mang's move was plainly meant to militarize the entire realm, merging civil and military authority into a wartime administration — probably spurred by the shock of Han Wei's lost army. The only question was, with this stroke, who was the imagined enemy? Would he stubbornly keep repelling external foes, or had he awakened and meant to start pacifying the interior?

The more critical question was: Dou Rong and Diwu Lun had both become Deputy Generals, equal in rank, with identical noble titles. So in this New Qinzhong, who had the final say — the turtledove or the magpie?

One mountain cannot hold two tigers. Dou Rong's plan to recruit Diwu Lun as a subordinate had fallen through, and Diwu Lun was also sharpening his blade in his heart. He was well practiced at striking friendly troops — but to make a move against Dou Rong, this "friendly troop" who had sent them warmth, he truly felt a little embarrassed.

Then they heard Wang Sa say: "General Dou, set aside your military affairs for now and return to the capital with all haste."

Dou Rong, who had been single-mindedly set on staying on the frontier to avoid disaster, inwardly cried that great trouble was afoot. His heart was bitter, yet he had to put on a face full of delight and express his gratitude.

Diwu Lun was instantly overjoyed in his heart, secretly thinking: "Dou Rong is leaving — doesn't that mean…"

"The same to General Diwu!"

Looking up, Wang Sa beamed: "And just like General Dou, you will hand over your defense duties to me and return to Chang'an at once."

He stepped closer and gave Dou Rong and Diwu Lun the inside word: "The Son of Heaven holds you both in the highest regard. Upon your return to court, he will summon you personally — there are other important posts awaiting you!"

As they accompanied Wang Sa across the river and boarded the boats by the Yellow River's edge, Diwu Lun and Dou Rong exchanged a glance — truly, they were fellow sufferers.

"Congratulations, Duke of Zhou," Diwu Lun offered, his words insincere.

"And congratulations to you as well, Boyu." Dou Rong's smile carried a sigh.

Then, each having boarded his own vessel, Dou Rong stood with hands clasped behind his back, wanting to weep but finding no tears, his heart twisting through a thousand turns.

Diwu Lun, too, gazed wordlessly at the heavens, and for a long time uttered not a single word.

Why had it come to this? A count's title bestowed, a promotion granted, and even an imperial summons — it should have been a triple joy. So why could neither of them feel happy?

Diwu Lun's mind was still a tangled mess; he had not yet grasped the purpose behind Wang Mang's flurry of wild punches.

By all common sense, with the Xiongnu threat looming and the two states still in a state of war, wouldn't it have been safest to leave him or Dou Rong in charge? Why had Wang Sa suddenly been parachuted in to strip them both of military command?

His thoughts slowly cleared: "Stationing Wang Sa, a proponent of peace, to command troops on the frontier means the court's foreign policy may be about to take a massive turn."

"I fear it will shift from 'to secure the interior, one must first repel the external' to 'to repel the external, one must first secure the interior.' Of course, it could also mean repelling both at once."

Diwu Lun could only speculate that Wang Mang had been shaken by more than just Han Wei's lost army. Something very, very grave must have happened within the realm. It was only a pity that the distance was so great and news so delayed that he could not learn of it in time.

But no matter what, all the painstaking efforts that Dou Rong and Diwu Lun had poured into these days — whether building factions or seeking out worthy talents with repeated overtures, hoping to put down roots in New Qin and wait for the times to change — had all come to nothing.

After more than half a year of arduous cultivation, must they abandon it all just as it began to bear fruit? Diwu Lun was filled with melancholy.

As the boat reached mid-river, surrounded on all sides by water, a bold thought flashed through Diwu Lun's mind: "If I were to rebel right now and mutiny... what would happen?"

PS: Chapter 2 at 13:00.