Chapter 126: Heading South

Diwu Lun, in a yellow robe and tall cap, arrived at Lantian County with over a dozen private attendants and guests, bearing a ceremonial staff. The several hundred men who were to accompany him south were already assembled there, awaiting orders.

"Your subordinate, Cheng Zhong, Major of the Northern Army's Yueqi Camp, pays respects to the Marquess of Kenu!"

Cheng Zhong was around thirty, considerably older than Diwu Lun. He had long heard that this Filial and Righteous Diwu was quite young, and seeing him today confirmed it — he could only envy the smoothness of his official career.

Cheng Zhong had a habit: whenever he met someone, he would announce himself as "descendant of the late dynasty's Kailling Stalwart Marquis." This rather startled Diwu Lun — he was no scholar-official who specialized in memorizing the genealogies of eminent families, so how could he know which of the Han dynasty's several hundred marquises this was? He merely offered a polite compliment: "So you are a descendant of the Kailling Stalwart Marquis! I have long admired your name."

In truth, the person Cheng Zhong referred to was Kailling Marquis Cheng Wan from the time of Emperor Wu of Han, who had once cooperated with Ma Yuan's ancestor, Chonghe Marquis Ma Tong, in riding beyond the frontier to strike the Xiongnu and besiege the state of Gushi in the Western Regions.

As the two spoke, Cheng Zhong also took Diwu Lun to inspect the three hundred men heading south. It seemed that while Cheng Zhong bore the title of Major, in reality he commanded only the equivalent of a Company Commander's force.

Zheng Tong and Zang Nu, who had accompanied Diwu Lun, exchanged glances and muttered to themselves, "So the Northern Army also pockets the pay of phantom soldiers?"

The world knew that the Northern Army was established during the Former Han and had always been the central army, comprising eight camps in total: the Central Rampart, Garrison Cavalry, Infantry, Yueqi, Changshui, Hu Cavalry, Archery by Sound, and Tiger Guard, together numbering in the tens of thousands. They had rendered great service in campaigns to pacify the feudal lords within and strike the Xiongnu without. Ma Yu, whom Diwu Lun would soon call "Second Uncle," had once served as Colonel of the Central Rampart — a pity he had gone to Yangzhou.

The unit before them belonged to the Yueqi Camp.

Diwu Lun asked curiously, "Are there still Yue people in the camp?"

Cheng Zhong replied, "In Emperor Wu's time, it was indeed the relocated Ouyue people who were selected for the palace guard. But later, where were any Yue people left? Only the name remains. The soldiers are mostly sons of the south, particularly from the Right and Front circuits."

Upon entering the camp, Zheng Tong and Zang Nu, who flanked Diwu Lun as his guards, both widened their eyes. The Yueqi Camp truly lived up to its reputation as a central army — their equipment was far superior to that of the Boar-Rush Braves by an incalculable degree. Just look at those black two-piece cuirasses, the helmets crowned with fluttering red tassels, making every man uniform from attire to expression.

At a glance, the spears, halberds, swords, and blades they carried were all top-grade — far better than the broken bronze and rusted iron they themselves had to scavenge from armories, some of it decades or even a century old. Nearly every man had a crossbow and possessed one or two horses.

Zang Nu could only secretly envy them. "If we had possessed such arms back then, how could we have let the barbarians slip away so easily?"

Though he had fought a battle alongside Diwu Lun north of the frontier, standing before regular troops still made him feel somewhat ashamed of his own shabbiness. Zheng Tong was different. As a valiant warrior who had led the charge in the river-crossing battle, though his eyes also hungered for the gear, his mouth refused to admit inferiority: "Never mind the equipment — in a real fight, it's not certain who would win or lose."

There were two hundred foot soldiers and one hundred cavalry in total. The foot soldiers, however, also had horses for transport, which meant their southward journey would be swift — no more relying on their two pitiful legs to trudge over mountains and through rivers.

After making his rounds, Diwu Lun remarked, "I notice the horses the soldiers ride are different from the tall, large mounts we saw north of the frontier. They seem somewhat… short and small."

This was not a case of the Northern Army embezzling horse funds. Cheng Zhong explained, "Our unit differs from the Changshui, Hu Cavalry, and Garrison Cavalry camps. We mostly use southern horses, descendants of the legendary Susu steeds of the ancient Tang state. The south is nothing like the endless flat plains beyond the frontier; it is crisscrossed with mountains, hills, and ravines. Northern horses struggle to adapt — only southern horses can manage. Don't be fooled by their short stature; they climb mountains and descend gullies as if treading on level ground!"

On the journey that followed, Diwu Lun witnessed the abilities of these southern horses firsthand. Lantian lies at the southern edge of the Guanzhong Plain, the last stretch of flat land. After leaving Lantian Mountain, the scenery changed abruptly. The remnant ranges of the Qinling Mountains rose up, hemming in valleys, and the road narrowed. Once past Yao Pass, the first barrier on the route into Guanzhong, the main road shrank further into a footpath, a mere crevice squeezed between the enclosing peaks.

As Diwu Lun looked back, he also recorded what he saw and heard along the way upon reaching Shangluo County. According to Cheng Zhong, over two hundred years ago, Liu Bang had taken this very road when he entered Guanzhong. He first broke through Wu Pass, then sent Li Yiji with gold and silks to negotiate with the commander guarding Yao Pass, while simultaneously following Zhang Liang's stratagem of planting flags all over Yao Mountain to create the illusion of a vast force, shaking the morale of the Qin army. Finally, he "circled around Yao Pass, crossed Kuai Mountain, struck the Qin army, and crushed them south of Lantian."

The next stop after leaving Shangluo was Shang County. This place already belonged to the Right Circuit Commandery (Hongnong County) and was the hometown of many in the Yueqi Camp. Yet from what Diwu Lun observed, the discipline of this central army was not much better than any other. Although Cheng Zhong personally admonished them and they dared not mistreat the common folk, incidents of horses trampling the green crops as they marched were frequent. This time, Diwu Lun did not cut his hair as a substitute for his head as he had on his northward journey.

No matter how much hair one has, it will run out eventually. Unlike the Boar-Rush Braves, who understood gratitude, with the Yueqi Camp's half-hearted attitude, they'd pluck him bald in no time. Besides, he was only responsible for this diplomatic mission — these Yueqi cavalrymen had not a single coin's connection to him. To buy their favor and win them over… the cost was too high. The central army was no bunch of rustic slaves; what hadn't they seen?

Diwu Lun only thought to himself, "I'd rather take a bunch of peasant slaves and train them from scratch than accept these arrogant soldiers and fierce commanders."

And just as the Yueqi Camp was passing through the county seat of Shang County, a peddler carrying a shoulder pole stood by the roadside. This man's name was Du Wu. When others saw the army passing, they had long since slipped away, but he boldly hawked his wares: "Dried persimmons, dried persimmons sweet as honey! Won't the General have a taste?"

But he was roughly shoved to the ground by the Yueqi soldiers. His carrying pole toppled, and in an instant, the dried persimmons he was selling scattered all over the ground.

These had been painstakingly dried by his family to trade for food. Du Wu's heart ached terribly, and he hurriedly bent down to pick them up. Some persimmons rolled onto the road and were trampled wantonly by the Yueqi cavalry, making him curse under his breath.

It was Diwu Lun, positioned at the rear of the column, who noticed this scene. He had Zang Nu give Du Wu a bolt of cloth carried in the wagon, treating it as buying the whole lot. He then accepted the few surviving persimmons from Du Wu's hand, tasted them, and smiled. "Indeed, very sweet."

Clutching the cloth, Du Wu was overwhelmed with gratitude, but before he could catch up to offer his thanks, the Grand Master Diwu's carriage had already traveled far.

…

In the first ten days of the third month, Wu Pass — "choking the juncture of Qin and Chu, commanding the peril of mountains and rivers" — was left behind. This place was extremely strategic: entering Lantian meant the right flank of the pass was in danger; advancing into Nanyang meant the east would be stirred. The court had specially established a Wu Pass Commandant to garrison it.

After a brief rest, the party set off again. They took the "Wu Pass Eastern Road," a route carved along the valley of the Dan River, connecting to the Xiong'er Mountains to the east. For hundreds of li, it was largely a landscape of towering mountains and long valleys, narrow and difficult to traverse.

Diwu Lun finally understood: this so-called Right Circuit Commandery (Hongnong) was a patchwork commandery cobbled together. Its territory was almost entirely mountainous, with counties and towns distributed along the river valleys of the Yellow River, the Luo River, and the Dan River. Though the straight-line distances seemed short, they were separated by towering watersheds, making travel between them extremely difficult. For example, from this area around Wu Pass, going to the commandery seat at Hongnong required crossing mountains and ridges for a month — far less convenient than going to Chang'an or Wancheng.

Once they had left the traditional boundaries of "Guanzhong," Cheng Zhong and the Yueqi Camp grew more vigilant. Unlike the still relatively stable capital region, the world outside was already in turmoil. Traveling merchants dared not leave their counties; officials heading to their posts had to bring sufficient private armed escorts, or else they would simply enrich the mountain bandit kings along the way. This entire route was full of perfect spots for ambushes.

For over ten days, Diwu Lun had readily followed all suggestions regarding the itinerary and accommodations, never making things difficult for Cheng Zhong and the Yueqi Camp. But today, he issued a baffling order.

"Split into two groups?" Cheng Zhong found it utterly incomprehensible.

This wasn't a large army on the march — what need was there to divide into a vanguard and a rear guard?

Moreover, Diwu Lun first demanded that the column slow its pace, then ordered fifty men to dress as civilians, conceal their armor and weapons, and drive their carts several li ahead, while the rest of them followed slowly behind.

"Marquess of Kenu," Cheng Zhong urged strongly, "I have heard that bandits are active in Xi County (modern Xixia, Henan). It would be better to pass through in a concentrated group."

"Is the Yueqi Camp afraid of a few petty bandits?" Diwu Lun insisted, even employing a bit of reverse psychology.

What Cheng Zhong did not know was that Diwu Lun had deliberately arranged things this way precisely to lure the Xi County bandits into attacking. Among his private attendants on this journey were several men of the Fourth clan, who had reported: "Last year, when we traveled south on the clan head's orders, it was at Xi County that we were robbed — stripped of our clothes, money, and silks."

Diwu Lun had kept this in mind. Now that their route happened to pass through Xi County, with the Yueqi Camp at his side for protection, it was the perfect opportunity to draw the snake out of its hole and see exactly who dared rob his family's merchant convoy.

Incidentally, he could also observe the Yueqi Camp's combat prowess and see whether it truly lived up to its equipment. If three hundred men were routed by a smaller band of thieves, then Diwu Lun's rebellion plans could be moved up ahead of schedule.

On the road thereafter, Cheng Zhong followed the plan. Zheng Tong and several dozen men traveled a stretch ahead, while Diwu Lun remained in the rear, a crossbow in his hands, his gaze fixed on the dense forests flanking them left and right. The howls of wild beasts came from time to time — there was no telling whether those bandits would take the bait.

When they reached a bend in the road, the vanguard rounded it and vanished from sight. Diwu Lun, however, noticed a flock of birds circling above a distant patch of forest, yet they lingered and would not land — a sign that people were likely present. He immediately sent word to warn Cheng Zhong to be on guard.

Before the message could arrive, a drumbeat sounded. Accompanied by a cacophony of battle cries, the vanguard had indeed fallen into an ambush. Several dozen bandits in tattered clothes burst from the forest, charging toward the road with crude weapons. They moved with extreme speed, leaping over gullies and onto the official road, rushing straight into the attack. The several dozen men ahead hastily clustered on the road to resist, tearing off their outer white robes to reveal armor beneath, or drawing crossbows and aiming at the charging bandits before firing.

"The scoundrels — they actually dared to rob us!"

Cheng Zhong cursed, feeling deeply humiliated. He immediately mustered the Yueqi cavalry in the rear. Their horses, true to their southern breed, didn't even need to use the narrow road surface; they charged forward directly over the rugged terrain on both sides. Their reaction to the enemy was, admittedly, quite good.

Diwu Lun also abandoned his carriage for a horse and advanced with his private attendants. But just as a squad of Yueqi cavalry was closing in on the attacking bandits, another sound of gongs came from the forest. The bandits immediately turned and fled, even faster than they had come. Cheng Zhong and his men only managed to catch a few stragglers; the rest vanished into the dense woods.

"The vanguard counterattacked too quickly — it was obvious at a glance that it was a trap. The enemy isn't stupid," Diwu Lun remarked, finding it a pity but feeling helpless against the bandits. Looking at the high mountains and deep gorges around them, once the enemy slipped into the forest, the authorities were powerless.

But this band of thieves was indeed out of the ordinary — they actually used gongs and drums to command their men, which was why they came and went like the wind.

These were no common bandits; these were well-trained bandits!

Could they be the armed retainers of some powerful local clan, or even regular troops in disguise?

Diwu Lun had the captured bandits brought forward and ordered Zheng Tong to apply a little persuasion in his interrogation.

"Do you remember robbing merchants flying the 'Diwu' banner last year?"

"Robbed too many times, can't remember. I can only count from one to four, can't count to five… Ow, stop, stop! Of course I remember — this humble one's clothes were stripped off them back then."

"Who is your leader?"

"Ha, we all went into the mountains because we couldn't survive. What leader… Aiya, aiya, stop hitting me! I'll talk!"

They were no men of unyielding integrity; unable to bear the pain, they truthfully confessed who their leader was.

"The commander who leads us is a man from the southern township of this county — Deng Ye."

……

PS: Chapter 2 at 18:00.