Chapter 146: Don't Let Him Escape

Following a tradition inherited from the Han, each commandery held an annual military exercise called the "Grand Review."

The commandery troops were drawn from commoner men who had reached the age of twenty-three; they served one year in the commandery forces as crossbowmen, cavalrymen, foot soldiers, and the like. The Governor presided, and the Commandant along with the magistrates, assistants, and commandants of each county also had to attend.

The "Guanglu Ordinance" stipulated that anyone required to be reviewed who failed to appear at the review ground would be struck from the rolls — the Grand Review was a rare occasion when the entire armed strength of a commandery assembled.

The Grand Review was originally held in the eighth month, but later, to prevent the massing of troops from disrupting the autumn harvest, it was shifted to the ninth month.

Now, because Li Yan was rushing to launch his coup, he had hastily moved the Grand Review forward, with the result that the troops from the various counties and those stationed in the eastern part of the commandery to guard against bandits and refugees could not arrive in time; only a little over three thousand men were mustered at the parade ground in the northwest corner of Yecheng.

Yet it was still a bustling spectacle: Li Yan wore a yellow silk square-collared robe, his war chariot adorned with dragon, tiger, and vermilion bird motifs; behind him, the honor guard displayed axes, halberds, and banners; ahead, a team of four horses drew the chariot, while behind came drum wagons and song wagons — the full panoply of ceremony. The commandery Merit Officer of the Ximen clan led the way in a carriage, with cavalry in squads of five, divided into left and right sections, setting up feathered standards and planting plumed canopies.

Ma Yuan, who had been appointed "Acting Major" for his outstanding performance, was among them. Behind him were over a hundred hastily gathered "daring young bravos of the city," among whom were quite a few of Diwu Lun's men who had infiltrated the city in scattered groups; because the coup had been rushed, Li Yan simply had no time to screen the participants one by one.

Ma Yuan had earlier instructed Zang Nu: "Li Yan plans to use his trusted men during the Grand Review to seize the commandery officials who are sitting on the fence, the Merit Officer of the Ximen clan, a major city family, and the head of the Wu'an Li clan, who serves as Bandit Suppressor."

In Li Yan's scheme, once these three were dealt with, the great enterprise would be within reach — for although the commandery troops were nominally the imperial army, in reality they had long since been riddled through and through by the local magnates.

Ma Yuan, however, intended to give Li Yan and his men a surprise, playing the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; they would soon make a direct rush at Li Yan.

To the booming drumbeats of the drum wagons and song wagons and the strains of transverse flutes, Li Yan arrived at the high platform on the parade ground. Facing the commandery troops, whose equipment ranged from good to utterly deficient, he was rather nervous. They had been busy with the theoretical groundwork for after the coup, but their foundation among the commandery troops was not solid enough; they could only control them by hastily appointing trusted men as Majors. He had no idea how much Ma Yuan, Yan Chun, and the others could accomplish in just a few short days.

The content of the Grand Review exercises varied by region: in the commanderies of Jing and Yang, they often practiced naval warfare with towered ships; in the northern commanderies, cavalry patrolled the border fortifications; Wei Commandery, however, had considerably more theatrical flourishes.

Li Yan sat inside the archery hall, having his personal mounted guards with halberds line the steps on either side, while war chariots formed a camp on all four sides to block any escape route. The crossbowmen advanced in armor — this unit was led by Yan Chun, over a hundred men all cradling crossbows and carrying quivers. They appeared to be aiming at the targets on the open ground, but in truth, at a single command from Li Yan, they would all level their weapons at the right side of the high platform.

The commandery officials, the Merit Officer of the Ximen clan, the Bandit Suppressor of the Li clan, and other powerful magnates stood there; they were the real power in the commandery, yet at this moment their faces were perfectly composed.

A trusted aide presented the command token. When Li Yan took it, it felt as heavy as a thousand jun. Over a decade ago, Zhai Yi, the Governor of neighboring Dong Commandery, had also launched his coup at the Grand Review and achieved tremendous success, seizing all his opponents and capturing several commanderies. Although he ultimately failed, he was still a fine example.

"I only hope we can succeed today! Then, using the commandery troops in alliance with Zhiping Commandery, we shall defeat the Governor of Ji Province, enthrone Liu Ziyu as emperor, and dispatch proclamations to every commandery — half of Hebei will be ours."

Then Li Yan hurled the command token heavily to the ground, the falling tablet the signal: "Strike!"

"Strike!" Ma Yuan immediately shouted. Zang Nu, holding the feathered standard beside the chariot wheel, now swept the banner, and the men behind him, blades drawn, surged forward to storm the platform and seize Li Yan.

"Strike!" And at that very instant, Yan Chun, whom Li Yan had appointed "General Who Aids the Han," also immediately led his men in swinging their crossbows around...

But what no one had anticipated was that these crossbows were not aimed at the targets on the right side of the high platform — instead, they were pointed straight at the Grand Governor of the commandery, Li Yan!

Yan Chun's shout cracked his voice: "Li Yan plots rebellion — surrender now or be taken by force!"

Li Yan was stunned. He saw his personal mounted guards with halberds lining the steps also turn their weapons around and begin arresting Li Yan's diehard loyalists. The commandery officials, the Ximen clan, and the Li clan on the right side of the high platform immediately took cover — beneath the ceremonial robes they wore were suits of armor.

This was indeed a long-planned mutiny, but Li Yan, who had thought himself the hunter, had suddenly become the prey.

At this critical juncture, it was instead Ma Yuan and his men, who had charged to the edge of the high platform, who were driven back. Yan Chun pointed at Ma Yuan and bellowed:

"This man is the Grand General for Restoring the Han appointed by Li Yan — under no circumstances let him escape!"

By the time Geng Chun, leading over a hundred mounted followers, had forced the officials at the Zhang River ford to ferry them across and was approaching Yecheng, he witnessed this scene of chaos.

The troops of Weicheng Commandery were clearly split into three factions: those loyal to Li Yan were fighting desperately to protect the Grand Governor; those who had turned against Li Yan had joined forces with the commandery officials and the Ximen clan, surrounding Li Yan with overwhelmingly superior numbers.

And then there was Ma Yuan with his mere hundred-odd men. Blocked by the two sides locked in internecine battle, they could not seize Li Yan. Ma Yuan could only grab the ferociously charging Yan Chun, who had come to take him, rally his men, seize war chariots to form a barricade, and while dodging crossbow bolts, have his men shout:

"We're on your side! I am the dead-man spy sent into the city by the newly appointed Grand Governor of Weicheng!"

For a moment, Geng Chun had no idea which side he should help against which; he could only watch helplessly from afar with his cavalry, and finally, seizing the right moment, cut diagonally into the battlefield, blocking the road by which Li Yan, under the escort of his personal guard, sought to retreat into Yecheng.

In truth, it would not have mattered if Geng Chun had not blocked him, for the gates of Yecheng had long since been shut tight. On the city wall were men placed by the powerful Ximen clan, who barred the gates and refused to let Li Yan withdraw inside.

Governor Li, who had intended to rebel against the Xin and restore the Han, thus ignominiously became a turtle in a jar, and in the end was captured by Geng Chun, who reaped the easy gain. This caused the Weicheng magnates, who did not know Geng Chun's identity, to control the commandery troops and confront him; the two sides distrusted each other and neither would lay down their arms.

This was the laughably absurd scene that greeted Diwu Lun — "a man of endless stratagems" — when he arrived at Yecheng.

Although Diwu Lun's mind was full of "What the hell is going on," his face had to put on an expression of divine foresight, as if everything had gone exactly as he had calculated. He said to the Zhiping commandery official with a smile: "Just as I planned."

The Zhiping commandery troops entered the field, and only after Diwu Lun presented the imperial edict did this farce come to an end. This year's Grand Review had truly been intense; on the walls of Yecheng and along the northern bank of the Zhang River, many people had watched the excitement.

Wang Lang, who had originally planned to enter the city to play the role of "Liu Ziyu," also stood on the banks of the Zhang, staring dumbfounded at the scene. Then, without a thought for whether his father Wang Kuang lived or died, he immediately turned around and fled back to Handan!

It was only when he was escorted before the imperial envoy and looked up to discover that Wang Lun — whom Wang Kuang had described as having "a face full of secret virtue lines, born to bring disaster to his master" — had now transformed into Diwu Lun, and that Ma Yuan had actually been an internal agent sent by him, that Li Yan finally saw the light.

"I too have heard of Diwu Lun Boyu's renown for striking the Xiongnu; indeed, he is both wise and brave. That you should succeed me as Governor is a blessing for Weicheng."

Although Li Yan, Filial and Incorrupt, could not pull off a rebellion in three years, he still cared for the local people and was known as a worthy Grand Governor. One reason for his rebellion against the Xin was that he simply could not meet the grain levies demanded by the Grand Preceptor Xi Zhongjing Shang.

Now, captured and facing death, his words were kindly. He only looked at the men of the Ximen clan, the Li clan, and others who had come to pay their respects to Diwu Lun and said: "I managed Weicheng for ten years; the magnates were quite close to me, aiding me in governing the commandery, complying with my every wish. Yet now, these men have turned their coats overnight, and several thousand commandery troops instantly changed banners. Governor Diwu, you must learn from my lesson!"

And learn he must. These commandery troops were called soldiers of the imperial court, but in reality they had been infiltrated until they were the private soldiers of the magnates. Today's events had shown Li Yan and Diwu Lun who the true masters of Weicheng were.

The obsequious Merit Officer Ximen Ping and the Bandit Suppressor Li Neng came to pay their respects: "We long ago sent men to report Li Yan's unlawful acts to the Governor of Ji Province, but there was no response for a long time, so we could only report directly to the Son of Heaven through our clansmen serving at court. Earlier, we had no choice but to feign compliance with Li Yan; now, at last, we have welcomed the imperial heavenly troops!"

So it was you who denounced Li Yan? Diwu Lun understood. That being the case, it would not be easy for him to tamper with the report to the court, turning white into black and framing the two families as co-conspirators.

What was more, the several thousand men facing him were not mere decorations, and Diwu Lun's greatest support, the Zhiping commandery troops, were no good men either. On the road, the Zhiping commandery official had told Diwu Lun bluntly: this time, Zhiping had mobilized its troops with great fanfare; they could not be expected to bear the grain costs themselves, could they? Once Diwu Lun took control of Yecheng, he should take responsibility and open the granaries so the soldiers could eat their fill.

And if he refused?

Diwu Lun guessed that the Zhiping commandery troops might well stab him in the back, or on the return journey instantly turn into bandits, plundering goods far exceeding their "reward" throughout Weicheng before returning to Puyang.

What imperial army was this? They were mercenaries!

If the Weicheng magnates ahead were wolves, the Zhiping troops behind were savage tigers. Diwu Lun had seemingly taken Li Yan down, but in truth he was still dancing on three eggs.

So Diwu Lun quietly instructed the Zhiping commandery official: "The Weicheng magnates are fickle and hard to control. To prevent them from stirring up trouble, I must ask you, sir, to take your troops and watch them from outside the city."

And when receiving the local magnates like the Ximen clan and the Li clan, Diwu Lun first praised their righteous act of turning to the right side, expressing that he would certainly request commendations for them from the court, and then said in a low voice: "The Zhiping commandery troops are, after all, outsiders. Ever since crossing Baima Ford, their military discipline has been poor. Now that they have come to a prosperous place like Yecheng, their urge to loot is even greater. I must ask you gentlemen to use your commandery troops and clan soldiers to confront them, to protect Yecheng and the safety of your families' wealth!"

After stabilizing these two forces, Diwu Lun had Geng Chun keep watch outside while he and Ma Yuan entered the city to hunt down and arrest Li Yan's remaining diehard followers.

Ma Yuan, having spent these days mingling in Yecheng, was already very familiar with the place and had a clear idea of who Li Yan's diehard loyalists were.

"Li Yan's chief strategist is the diviner Wang Kuang — we absolutely must not let him escape."

When Ma Yuan led Diwu Lun to the commandery office, they found it had caught fire. Under the assault of the city's magnates, many of Li Yan's trusted followers had died fighting, and that instigator of the whole affair, the diviner Wang Kuang, had also stabbed himself to death.

One wonders — had he foreseen his own end?

They only had time to rescue the prophetic texts that Wang Kuang had not managed to finish burning. As expected, they were filled with the fortunes — both good and ill — of Wang Mang's high officials, each with a date attached. Grand Mentor Tang Zun, State Preceptor Liu Xin, and others were all listed, and none of the words were favorable.

But after searching through them, Diwu Lun's name was nowhere to be found.

"They look down on me." Diwu Lun flipped through them with a laugh, but then his eye caught a strange line of interpolated text, jarringly inserted among the rest.

"Jing and Chu shall rise, with the Li clan as their aid?"

Jing-Chu, the Li clan — could that be referring to the Li Tong household in Wancheng, the very family he had just concluded a deal with, sending so many ironworkers and skilled laborers to Diwu Village?

When he sent men to seize the armory and the granary, they found the granary held hardly any surplus grain — not even enough to cover the hardship pay Diwu Lun had promised the Zhiping commandery troops!

And just at that moment, Geng Chun sent word to Diwu Lun: "Trouble outside the city!"

By the time Diwu Lun returned to the city gate, he saw the clan retainers of the Ximen and Li families already hauling cart after cart of fodder and provisions, come to "reward" the Zhiping commandery troops — they even generously brought out wine and meat, claiming they wished to relieve Diwu Lun of his burdens.

And the Zhiping deputy magistrate, having reaped the benefits, chatted and laughed merrily with them — the two sides were all warmth and cheer. The situation Diwu Lun had envisioned, where outsiders and locals would "guard against each other, check and balance one another," had vanished without a trace; all that remained was a nest of snakes and rats.

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Mercenaries — whoever feeds them is their mother. Diwu Lun was not their superior officer; trying to command them now would be difficult.

"I was careless."

Diwu Lun inwardly sensed grave danger. His plan to borrow the strength of the Zhiping commandery troops to wipe out the powerful families of Yecheng in one stroke and carve up their wealth and granaries had evidently come to nothing. Here in Weicheng Commandery, it seemed he would have to face powerful families as shrewd and astute as Zhang Chun.

He could only look with a pang of sympathy at the former Grand Governor, a man single-mindedly plotting rebellion who had never even noticed that his own nest was full of double-dealers.

"Li Yan, you didn't lose unjustly."

……

PS: Happy New Year. Chapter 2 at 13:00.