Chapter 120: The Realm in Chaos

After not seeing him for over a year, Zhang Zhan had aged considerably. That was the nature of holding office — if you ignored all business and tossed everything to your subordinates, ruling with hands folded would be easy enough. But someone like Zhang Zhan, who handled matters with earnest diligence that bordered on the foolish, would drown in an endless sea of official documents.

Yet the most exhausting thing was surely the helplessness of knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he could never bring stability to his commandery — especially when the Emperor issuing orders from Shoucheng Hall was constantly coming up with "I have a plan" every other day, leaving him no choice but to scramble wearily in response.

After Diwu Lun paid his respects to Zhang Zhan and mentioned the shocking news he had heard at the city gate about the Emperor changing the currency yet again, Zhang Zhan shook his head in dismay. "Last year, grain and fodder were requisitioned from the commanderies and kingdoms to supply the great army's northern campaign against the Xiongnu. The ill effects are now beginning to show."

Unlike the bumper harvest of the year before last, many places suffered disasters last autumn, and regions like Hedong had no snow all winter — which meant locust plagues were likely in the spring and summer, a prospect even more worrying.

Under these conditions, grain prices had begun to skyrocket. Even in the grain-producing regions of Guandong and Guanzhong, prices had soared to a thousand coins per dan of rice.

The Emperor believed this wave of inflation was caused by the over-issuance of large-denomination coins, so with a wave of his hand, he abolished the dabu huangqian, a coin that could be exchanged for a thousand cash.

Diwu Lun could only grumble in frustration. Last year, when salaries were paid to the frontier commanderies and counties, they had used exactly this currency. Now it was abolished just like that. Many commanderies had not even received word in time, and the money in their hands had already turned to worthless scrap copper. Taking it out to use was even a crime — where could one go to cry injustice? Few among the common folk held dabu huangqian; only officials were forbidden to refuse them. This time, the scythe of harvesting had fallen squarely on the officials themselves.

Incidentally, the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties had also launched a whirlwind campaign across the Six Wei and Six Dui, arresting a batch of illegal coin minters and forcing them into government slavery.

Unlike the four previous currency reforms, however, Wang Mang did not mint new coins this time. Instead, he abolished all the motley, bizarre currencies, leaving only two: the huobu and the huoquan. The two circulated in parallel. The huoquan coin was one cun in diameter, weighed five zhu, and was worth one unit — no different from the wuzhu coins of Han times, just with a new name and inscription.

"Isn't this just changing it back?"

Diwu Lun shook his head. If he had known it would come to this, what had Wang Mang been thinking for over a decade, obsessing over coinage like a man possessed and tormenting everyone with endless tinkering?

Zhang Zhan continued, "The good news is that since you said, Boyu, that the Marquis of Zhande will take over your frontier command, and he has always advocated a conciliatory approach to the barbarians, it probably means the war against the Xiongnu may truly be about to stop."

Given the circumstances this year, the state simply could not bear the enormous expense of a prolonged war with the Xiongnu. But the main reason was that, in the span of just one year, bandits had sprung up across the realm to a degree that could no longer be ignored.

"When you went north, Boyu, the bandits under heaven were numerous, but they had not yet surpassed the situation in Emperor Wu of Han's later years. Small bands numbered in the hundreds, plundering and killing in the villages, too many to count, cutting off the roads. Large bands numbered in the thousands. They grew bold and reckless, attacking cities and towns, seizing weapons from government arsenals, releasing prisoners condemned to death, and capturing and defiling County Magistrates, Commandants, and Assistants, killing officials of the six-hundred-dan rank."

At the time, Wang Mang had not yet taken these bandits seriously, merely dispatching Embroidered Uniform Envoys bearing the Emperor's tally to urge the various commanderies to suppress them.

As it turned out, after a year, thanks to the blessings of natural and man-made calamities, the more the bandits were suppressed, the more they multiplied. The weak among the common people died on the roads; the strong joined the bandits. With a steady stream of new recruits, many bands of "great brigands" had now emerged.

Zhang Zhan told Diwu Lun that although bandits were numerous throughout the realm, they were especially rampant in two regions: Jing and Yang, and Qing and Xu.

"In Yangzhou, there is Gua Tianyi of Kuaiji and the Lujiang brigand Wang the Duke of Zhou. The forces under each man number over ten thousand. They range in battle across both sides of the Great River, keeping in contact with one another."

"In Jingzhou, there are Zhang Ba of Nan Commandery and Yang Mu of Jiangxia, each with ten thousand followers. But the most powerful force is still the Greenwood bandits. It is said their numbers have reached twenty to thirty thousand, to the point of seizing county seats. The commanderies and counties cannot contain them."

The commandery and county troops were so few in number — and who knew if the soldiers, upon learning their pay had turned into a light scrap of worthless copper, might not angrily join the bandits themselves? There was no way to suppress the rebel armies. It was for this reason that Wang Mang had reformed the nationwide military structure.

"The Provincial Governors have been granted the title of Grand General. Commandery rectifiers, regional commanders, and Grand Governors like myself are now Assistant Generals. Subordinate prefects and chiefs are Deputy Generals. County Magistrates are Colonels."

"He has also ordered Fei Xing, the Governor of Jingzhou, and Ma Yu, the Governor of Yangzhou, to coordinate all the commanderies and join forces to exterminate the bandits."

Diwu Lun was taken aback. "Ma Zhonglei has been made Governor of Yangzhou?"

Ma Yu was Ma Yuan's elder brother. He had once helped Diwu Lun when he was arrested by the Office of the Master of Fates. With Ma Yuan having agreed to the marriage proposal, the two families were about to become kin. By later conventions, Diwu Lun would have to call Ma Yu "Second Elder Uncle."

He had not expected that Ma Yu, who commanded a portion of the Northern Army, would be transferred by Wang Mang to Yangzhou. Though the office of Provincial Governor had evolved from the Han-era Inspector, its rank, salary, and authority far exceeded it, its status comparable to the Three Excellencies. Now, granted the title of Grand General, he held military authority over an entire province — in theory, at least.

This meant the Ma clan of Maoling had advanced yet further in the Xin Dynasty, joining the ranks of the top families. Diwu Lun's marriage alliance was truly a case of "marrying up." But it also meant Ma Yu was now far away. He could only hope that Elder Uncle Ma would hold firm and not end up being exterminated by the rebel armies instead.

As for Jingzhou, the former Major of the Grand Marshal's office, Fei Xing, had been made Governor there. He had already rushed to Jiangxia and dispatched troops to focus on striking the Greenwood Army.

Zhang Zhan continued, "The bandits of Jing and Yang are merely a malady of the armpit and elbow. But the bandits of Qing and Xu have the makings of a festering rot."

"The first to rise up was Mother Lü. She has gathered a force on the islands off the coast, elusive and unpredictable. Whenever the moment is favorable, she comes ashore to attack government troops. The commandery soldiers cannot contain her."

"Li Zidu of Donghai plunders Xu and Yan, repeatedly defeating the commandery troops."

"Then there is Fan Chong of Langya. He raised troops in Ju several years ago and shifted into Mount Tai. Since the time of Confucius, Mount Tai has been a haven for filth and villainy in every degenerate age — oppressive rule is more terrible than tigers. And so, knowing full well there are tigers on Mount Tai, men still march toward the tiger mountain. Fan Chong has already gathered tens of thousands, the most formidable of them all. He has even led his forces to attack Juling Commandery — Chengyang Commandery!"

The rebel armies of Jing and Yang had only struck at small county seats, but the three great bandit forces of Qing and Xu had all laid hands on commandery capitals. Though none had succeeded, they had clearly terrified the government. Even if Wang Mang delegated authority to the Governors of Qing, Xu, and Yan to coordinate the campaign, it would likely be of little use. The situation had reached a point where nothing short of central government troops could quell it.

Having caught up on all the major domestic events of the past year, Diwu Lun grew increasingly worried. "Wang Mang transferred Dou Rong and me back — could it be to send us to suppress the rebel armies?"

Being made to fight rebels was something Diwu Lun had no wish to do. Yet for now, he could only feign loyalty inwardly and cope. He made plans in his heart: "If it truly comes to that, I must earnestly plead that none but the Fifth Detachment can quell them!"

The age of chaos was drawing nearer and nearer... No, this was already an age of chaos! Official posts and noble titles were all illusory; having soldiers in hand was what mattered most.

The hour was growing late. Diwu Lun knew Zhang Zhan still had official business to attend to. Before taking his leave, he merely mentioned that on the road he had seen civilian laborers dismantling Sweet Spring Palace.

This topic drew a deep sigh from Zhang Zhan, who then told Diwu Lun a matter of earth-shattering significance.

"Last month, a man from Runan named Zhi Yun, a scholar of the Han Odes and the Yan Clan Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, renowned throughout the provinces and commanderies, was appointed as a senior disciple at the Imperial Academy. Zhi Yun traveled west to Chang'an. But no sooner had he arrived than he submitted a memorial to His Majesty."

Zhang Zhan lowered his voice. "Zhi Yun said that the Han calendar was long-enduring, that Confucius had ordained the Red Essence, and that the Han house's allotted fortune was not yet exhausted. The frequent celestial portents of recent years, he said, were Heaven's way of making His Majesty realize his error and return to the position of a subject, thereby turning calamity into blessing. What is taken from Heaven should be returned to Heaven — only then can one be said to understand the Mandate of Heaven. If one does not plan for this early, one cannot avoid the charge of usurping the throne."

Zhi Yun was summoning the spirit of a fallen former dynasty, insisting that the House of Han was destined to receive the mandate anew. He was suggesting that Wang Mang simply follow the example of Yao and Shun and promptly abdicate the throne back to the Liu clan. In that way, the chaos under heaven would be resolved at a stroke!

After his experience with the Lu Fang affair, Diwu Lun was no longer surprised by such attempts to summon back the spirit of the Great Han. The Imperial Academy truly produced talents. He merely asked, "And what became of this Zhi Yun afterward?"

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Zhang Zhan said, "He was arrested by the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties and thrown into the imperial prison. But His Majesty did not have him killed. He told the court and the public that Zhi Yun was afflicted with a mad malady — that he was a lunatic."

But what did this matter have to do with the dismantling of Sweet Spring Palace?

It turned out that after being provoked by this incident, Wang Mang had heeded the words of certain aura-gazing diviners. Seeing the many bandits in the four directions and the lack of success in the campaigns against the Xiongnu and Gouding, he concluded that the problem lay in the feng shui. He thus issued an edict decreeing that on a site south of Chang'an city, south of the Jin River, and west of the Mingtang, a hundred qing of land would be demarcated to formally construct the long-delayed Nine Temples for his ancestors. He even inspected the site personally and raised the rammer three times.

But the state treasury was empty and the common people were destitute. There was no way to transport giant timbers from the Zhongnan Mountains or Shu. So Wang Mang, that little genius, slapped his forehead and came up with yet another plan!

Why seek far away what lies close at hand? Were there not plenty of great beams and pillars all around Chang'an?

And so he set his sights on the palaces of the former dynasty. The Jianzhang Palace, Chengguang, Baoyang, Quantai, Chuyuan Palaces, and the Pingle, Danglu, Yanglu lodges — over ten sites in all. Every magnificent palace near Chang'an that Emperor Wu of Han had built at immense cost to the people's blood and fat in his great construction spree was torn down. Even Sweet Spring Palace suffered the calamity.

Smashing the Four Olds of the former dynasty while saving vast sums of money, grain, and manpower — was that not splendid?

Diwu Lun, however, grumbled inwardly: "Wang Mang's Nine Temples will use the beams, pillars, tiles, and timbers of the Han dynasty. How eerily fitting. This Xin Dynasty is nothing but the framework of the former dynasty inherited wholesale, with a fresh coat of paint slapped on. Little does he know that even the woodworms inside the timbers have been preserved. It would be a wonder if it didn't rot."

Although, the first three temples of Wang Mang's Nine Temples — the "Yellow Emperor's Grand Ancestral Temple of the Primal Beginning," the "Brilliant Temple of Emperor Shun, the First Ancestor," and the "Solemn Temple of King Hu of Chen, the Unifying Ancestor" — were also the ancestors of the Diwu clan.

By the time their conversation ended, Diwu Lun could hear the deep weariness in Zhang Zhan's words. This Grand Governor of a commandery, who just two years ago had followed every order from above and prided himself on being a loyal and good official, was today somewhat disheartened and disillusioned. He could not help but grumble about the elegant policies of the Xin Dynasty, though he stopped at the appropriate point and did not say anything too excessive.

Diwu Lun took careful note of Zhang Zhan's attitude. Since he planned to make the Array Commandant's territory his future base of operations, Zhang Zhan, as Grand Governor of the commandery, was someone he could not bypass. He could only hope that in the future, he would not be forced to kill his own patron with his own hands.

As they parted, Zhang Zhan gave Diwu Lun a final word of caution: "The Crown Prince has now been deposed, and the State Preceptor has lost his influence. The situation is unclear. And this old man has fallen out of His Majesty's favor. There is no one at court who can help you now, Boyu. When you enter the palace for your audience with the Emperor in a few days, be careful with your words!"

Diwu Lun left Changling. No sooner had he entered Linqu Village than he was met with a warm welcome from the entire clan. At their head was Diwu Ba, standing on an oxcart. The moment he spotted Diwu Lun's party in the distance, he burst into booming laughter.

"It's our family's general, come home!"

Diwu Ba was naturally overjoyed — not only because his grandson had returned safely from a distant campaign, but also because he had been enfeoffed as a marquis and made a Deputy General. This had undoubtedly elevated the Diwu clan's pedigree and standing considerably.

Before Diwu Lun could share a tearful embrace with his grandfather, he first noticed two servant women beside him, each holding a child exquisitely pretty as carved jade. The children were only a few months old. Diwu Ba took them, one cradled in each arm.

Diwu Lun played with them for a moment. "Grandfather, whose children are these..."

Diwu Ba declared smugly, "These are your two uncles."

The smile froze on Diwu Lun's face. To think that back in New Qinzhong, he had been fretting over Diwu Ba's health all along — he never imagined, never imagined, that the old man could still sire children past seventy, and two of them at that!

And looking at the brows, the nose, the eyes — the spitting image of Diwu Ba, truly a medical miracle. Diwu Lun let his smile bloom again, picked up his two uncles, and gave each a kiss.

Diwu Ba was plainly telling Diwu Lun in this peculiar way: "Go do great things without a worry — this old man's body is perfectly fine!"

As for the others in the clan, their awe of Diwu Lun deepened by a few degrees. With Diwu Lun's rising rank and title, the Diwu clan had already broken into the top tier of powerful houses in Liewei Commandery, second only to the Marquis of Qiongcheng and the Marquis of Xiaoxiang — and in actual influence, they surpassed them. After all, in a few days he would even enter the palace for an audience with the Emperor.

Diyi Liu was already dead, and Diyi Guan had come out of mourning and was the first to arrive and pay his respects. After him came Diba Zhi, Diliu Du, and the rest, and finally Disi Xian, who hurriedly reported to Diwu Lun the results of the trading caravans the clan head had ordered him to dispatch east and south.

Because Diwu Lun did not know the course of history, he took intelligence all the more seriously — he could hardly measure everything by his own stride alone. So he made use of his family's trading caravans, and along the way had them inquire about people named "Liu Xiu" everywhere, for he was already convinced that Liu Xin was not that "Child of the Plane."

The results left Diwu Lun utterly disappointed. It was not that they had found no one, but that they had found far too many. Wang Mang's single-character given-name system had caused namesakes to proliferate across the land: Jing Dan's son, for instance, shared a name with one of his own relatives; the rebel Wang Kuang on Greenwood Mountain turned out to share a name with the Xin Dynasty's Grand Preceptor; and one of Wang Mang's own sons by a concubine was also called Wang Kuang…

But then Diwu Lun heard Disi Xian report further that, after a full year, the family caravans had only reached the Right Unit — Hongnong — to the south, and to the east had merely passed the Zhao Unit — Hedong — and arrived at the Rear Unit — Henei…

Wait — why did it feel like they were just dropping in on the neighboring production brigade? Diwu Lun pushed the strange thought aside and reproached Disi Xian: "With the granary funds and grain at your disposal, why is the progress so slow?"

"Clan Head, there was truly no other way."

Disi Xian poured out his grievances: "We sent out three trading caravans in all, but once they entered other commanderies, they were robbed again and again. When the bandits were few, our retainers could still beat them back. But thieves and brigands are thick as hemp — even within the Six Units, there are bands of several hundred who waylay travelers."

"One caravan had good luck: after reaching Henei, it made a roundabout journey back. The one sent to Hongnong lost its goods, coin, and silk — the men were stripped of their clothes too and had to beg their way home. Worst of all was the caravan bound for Taiyuan: on the road, bandits killed every last man, and not a trace has been heard since. My own nephew was among them…"

Even a long-distance journey had turned so catastrophic. Diwu Lun was stunned. Disi Xian, his face crumpled in misery, prostrated himself: "Clan Head, unless scores or even hundreds of men travel together bearing arms, no one dares leave the commandery anymore. Who could have imagined — in just a few short years, the world has fallen into such chaos!"

……

PS: Woke up late, sorry about that. Also, something came up at noon, so the second chapter will be at 18:00.