Chapter 184: A Startled Rise from a Deathbed Illness

The malaria that had swept through Greenwood in the sixth month soon spread to the Wang army's camp.

Even though the panicked officers indiscriminately executed every old and weak surrender who came out of Greenwood Mountain; even though the great army hastily retreated a hundred li, back to the banks of the Han River to camp and escape the pestilence — they still could not outrun malaria's pursuit.

The Han and the Jiang rivers rolled on, their banks shrouded in sweltering, humid mist. Malaria ran rampant with the scorching post-autumn weather and the rains. The great army Yan You had labored so bitterly to conscript from Yuzhou had endured the standoff with Greenwood, yet now collapsed in whole formations under the onslaught of disease.

In barely over a month, the waste ground by the Han River was nearly insufficient for burying the dead. Many hamlets were affected; sometimes comrades could only be burned. In some abandoned camps, countless soldiers lay waiting to die amid rotting corpses.

Even the General of the Palace Counsellor, Yan You, because he refused to believe in evil spirits during the great epidemic and insisted on inspecting the camp, fell ill upon his return.

After all, an epidemic does not distinguish between high and low, noble and base. It cares nothing whether you are a general or a common soldier, what your bloodline or title may be. One careless step, and before malaria, you fall just the same.

But the care and medicinal nourishment a fallen general receives are also beyond the reach of ordinary men. Yan You endured the alternating chills and fevers of the illness, survived the ague fits, and passed through the critical phase. Yet his whole frame seemed to have shrunk a full circle. He lay on his couch, gaunt and skeletal, subsisting each day on a little thin gruel.

Still, the moment he recovered a sliver of clarity, he had men support him to his feet and insisted on convening a council of war to discuss countermeasures.

"We beg the General to rest and recover well!"

Dou Rong, Cen Peng, Ren Guang, and the other officers knelt before the old general in his tent, urging him not to push himself.

Yan You sighed. "I swore an oath before His Majesty to pacify Greenwood within the year. Victory was in sight, yet I never expected to encounter this great epidemic. Now the Greenwood remnants have taken advantage of our army avoiding the pestilence to flee. Yan You can hardly shirk the blame — how dare I lie here motionless any longer?"

"Even if the whole army, high and low, lies ill, and only this old man remains, this war must still be fought!"

He was burning with impatience. He had men spread out the map. After several shifts of camp, the government army's present position was at Yicheng County by the Han River. This malaria was too dreadful. In a single month, the great army had lost at least ten thousand soldiers — dead or ill, their fighting strength gone. The morale of those who remained was abysmal, and even scout intelligence had grown much slower.

Thus it was only in the last few days that Yan You learned Greenwood had not simply moved south en masse, but had split into two forces, one south, one north!

"The Greenwood bandits' southward force numbers over ten thousand, calling themselves the Xiajiang troops. They left Yun Du, passed Zhang Mountain, and next..."

Cen Peng, who had been promoted thanks to Diwu Lun's reflected glory and then selected by Yan You to serve as a Colonel in the army, was very eager. He said, "The bandits surely intend, as they did last year, to take Jingling, and then either flee into the Cloud Dream marshes to join forces with the Jiangxia bandits, or strike west to breach Huarong County, collude with the Southern Commandery bandits, and attack Jiangling."

Yan You judged it would be the latter, for with so many bandit soldiers, entering the Cloud Dream marshes would yield too little food. They would continue raiding county seats.

Coughing, he issued his orders: "Jingling, Huarong, and the other counties are the armpit and flank of Jing and Chu, the throat of the Jiang and Han, where boats and carts converge — a vital point by water and land. In the Spring and Autumn period, this was the Jiao Ying of Chu, the gateway to Jiangling. From there one can defend against enemies coming from Jiangxia. Should it be lost, Jiangling is in peril! It must not fall."

Yan You called out Colonel Cen Peng by name: "Junran, take the three thousand men of the Front Troops who were in a separate camp and have not contracted the epidemic, and pursue Greenwood southward. The Southern Commandery troops will also be placed under your command to assist you. You must intercept the Xiajiang bandits!"

"Southern Commandery and Jiangxia are crisscrossed with waterways. Watch for the moment the bandits are mid-crossing, and strike them then!"

"Aye!" Cen Peng accepted the order and strode out. The Registrar Ren Guang went out to see him off, but he took hold of Cen Peng, who was rubbing his palms together, ready to throw himself into the fight, and said, "Junran, you and I are both from the Front Troops' home region, and we caught General Yan's eye. That was originally thanks to Diwu Boyu's reflected glory. General Yan, as our master and patron, has shown us the grace of recognition — we should indeed repay it."

"True." The earnest Cen Peng thought the same. But Ren Guang urged him otherwise: "Yet the present situation is dire. Southern Commandery and Jiangxia are stricken by disaster; the people have no means to live — this you and I have seen with our own eyes. I hear that the Greenwood bandits had already been badly mauled by malaria, but after leaving the mountains, those flocking to join them have been an unending stream, while the government army only dwindles the more it fights. Even if you can block them for a time, can you really reverse the greater tide?"

Cen Peng was displeased. "What does Boqing mean by this?"

Ren Guang bowed deeply. "I only hope that Junran will think more of himself, and of his clan. Do not push too hard in all matters. This court is not worth us selling our lives for."

"Boqing's goodwill — Cen Peng takes it to heart." Cen Peng replied, "But for over ten years I was a mere County Commandant, looked down upon by others, my name unknown to the world. It was my fortune to be recognized and promoted by Lord Yan, who made me a Colonel, and now entrusts me with heavy responsibility, letting me lead an army alone."

"Lord Yan, even gravely ill and vomiting blood, remains loyal to his sovereign's cause. How then could I, Cen Peng, dare not be loyal to Lord Yan's trust?"

With that, he saluted Ren Guang with clasped hands and strode away.

Inside the command tent, Yan You was in fact even more concerned about the other Greenwood bandit force that had headed north — the the Xin troops.

"Because my forces are holding the Jiang and Han, Greenwood had no choice but to make a wide detour, attacking Sui County to the north, intending to enter Nanyang."

Yan You's gaze roamed the map. "This region, with its perilous mountain streams, connects to the Mian'e Pass in the east and shields the riches of Wan and Deng in the north — it is truly a key strategic stronghold. If the Greenwood bandits take Sui County, emerging east through the three passes of Mian'e, they can threaten Yingchuan and Runan. Striking north to Wancheng, they can menace the Central Plains. The Zuo Commentary says: 'Among the states east of the Han, Sui was the greatest.' When King Wu of Chu sought to dominate the Central Plains, he first subjugated Sui and Tang, and then all the Ji-surnamed states of Hanyang were destroyed. We absolutely cannot let them succeed."

Though he could still command with composure, marching with the army was utterly beyond him. He merely designated the general who would go north.

"the Duke of Zhou!"

Dou Rong, who had been silently repeating in his heart, "Don't see me, don't see me," felt his body jolt. He stepped forward and knelt.

Yan You handed him the tiger tally. "The north is more critical than the south. Take your own four thousand troops north, rendezvous with the Front Troops' Governor Zhen Fu, and together annihilate the Greenwood the Xin troops!"

Dou Rong had ten thousand reasons not to want to go. With a mournful face, he merely kowtowed and said, "Your subordinate knows nothing of military affairs. I fear I am unequal to this heavy responsibility, and will fail the General's high expectations."

Yan You said, "the Duke of Zhou is as modest as ever. If you don't know military affairs, who does? In his correspondence with me, Diwu Boyu has never been sparing in his high praise of your valor and keenness on the northern frontier — you have the talent of a great general. And I have observed that the Duke of Zhou runs his army with strict discipline. When the epidemic struck, you were able to keep your camp separate and hold fast, which is why you have more survivors. You are the only one I can rely on!"

He then gave Dou Rong a meaningful admonition: "Nanyang is full of powerful and great clans. What I worry about most is that they will assist Greenwood. After the Duke of Zhou goes north, send more men to spread word of how the Greenwood bandits sacked cities and plundered in Jiangxia. In particular, speak of how Greenwood attacked fortified manors for grain and wiped out prominent families."

"I shall respectfully obey the General's orders!"

Dou Rong had no choice but to assent. Inwardly, he could only curse the colleague who had so zealously praised him before the Emperor and Yan You: "Diwu Lun, ah, Diwu Lun, what grudge or grievance do I bear you?"

As for Yan You, after arranging all this, he felt another wave of malignant chills sweep through his body. His illness was far from healed, and now he seemed to have overdrawn every ounce of his strength. He could only lie back helplessly to recuperate.

On the level of military strategy, he had done his utmost, but the concrete outcome would still depend on how Cen Peng and Dou Rong fought. It could only be left to Heaven's will.

Amidst this overwhelming sense of powerlessness, Yan Erudite could not help but think to himself: "If only Boyu were here to lend me his aid, how fine that would be. If we could once gain His Majesty's trust and a free hand, perhaps we might truly yet save the heavens from falling!"

At Wancheng in the Front Troops commandery, in the last third of the eighth month, Li Tong and his brothers were also closely watching the Greenwood Army's movements.

The eyes and ears of Nanyang's greatest clan were spread throughout the commandery. Their family's carts and riders, traveling north and south under the pretext of trade, were more frequent and faster than the government's post riders. Li Tong had instructed his cousin Li Yi to report any development at once.

That night, as Li Tong Li Ciyuan lay sleepless, Li Yi suddenly knocked on his door, saying he had urgent news to report.

Li Tong was alarmed. "Could it be that Sui County has fallen and Greenwood is marching north?"

There were already many poor tenant households around Sui County. Years of drought had made their lives desperately hard, and now, with the chaos of soldiers passing through, they were joining the Greenwood Army in droves. Its numbers swelled daily, and as Nanyang was thrown into turmoil, the powerful clans began to worry about the future.

In peaceful times, or under any normal dynasty, they would certainly have helped the authorities annihilate this rabble of paupers. But this Great Xin... it was visibly tottering on the brink, and it treated the powerful families poorly. Last year it had even exploited the crisis to extort them, demanding that the various clans of Nanyang provide military provisions, which had aroused widespread fury. And the discipline of the Wang army was also a sorry tale.

Should they continue to trust that the Wang army could protect them, and perish together when Greenwood marched north? Or should they rely on themselves? This was the matter Li Tong was agonizing over.

Li Yi said, "Greenwood lacks the strength to take cities by storm. Sui County is still holding out bitterly, awaiting reinforcements. What I received tonight is some new intelligence."

"Does Elder Brother know of the Liao clan of Pinglin?"

Li Tong thought for a long while before recalling that they were a minor powerful family in Pinglin Township of Sui County, with land no more than ten thousand mu and dependents numbering only a few hundred, situated in a remote backwater. When such petty households came seeking an audience with the brothers, Li Tong was usually not very willing to receive them.

Yet it was precisely such a minor powerful family that had done something major.

Li Yi said, "The Liao clan head, Liao Zhan, has raised troops. He gathered over a thousand men to answer the Greenwood Army's call, styling themselves the 'Pinglin troops,' and proclaimed himself General. They have now joined the Greenwood Army!"

This was indeed crucial news. It seemed that Greenwood still welcomed powerful clans' armed forces who voluntarily joined them. Answering Greenwood's call to preserve one's clan property from being harmed by the bandit soldiers — that was not a bad line of thinking.

And among those in the Front Troops commandery who harbored discontent with the Xin and were ready to join when Greenwood marched north, how could the Liao clan of Pinglin be the only one?

Li Tong immediately asked, "What news of Liu Bosheng of Chongling?"

Caiyang County was right next to Sui County. The moment Greenwood broke through Sui, Chongling would bear the brunt. If the Li clan of Wancheng still had time to deliberate, then the Liu clan of Chongling already had the flames singeing their eyebrows.

Li Yi had his eyes on that quarter too. "Though our family's men find it hard to enter Caiyang, according to news from last month, as soon as Greenwood reached Nanyang's borders, Liu Bosheng, under the pretext of defending the countryside, gathered over a thousand dependents and retainers — and the local County Magistrate simply let him be."

Nonsense — the County Magistrate is probably counting on the Liu family to protect him!

Li Tong sank into a brooding silence. Only after a long while did he speak to Li Yi of an old matter: "A few months ago, Father wrote from Chang'an. The letter mentioned a prophetic verse."

Li Tong's father, Li Shou, was a tall man like him, serving as an ancestral rites master under the Left State Preceptor, Liu Xin, in Chang'an. As the State Preceptor fell from favor, things grew harder, but he could still pick up certain rumors and secrets to pass on to his son.

"The prophetic verse Father mentioned concerns an acquaintance of ours."

"Who?"

"Diwu Lun."

"So it's that little brat." At the name, Li Yi spat on the ground. Diwu Lun — that troublesome character had shaken their family down hard last year, forcing them to hand over several dozen skilled ironworkers.

Li Tong said, "Diwu Lun put down Wei Cheng's rebellion and captured and beheaded Li Yan. That Li Yan plotted with his retainers to overthrow the Xin and restore the Han, and he wrote some prophetic verses. Two lines in particular trouble me most."

"'Jing and Chu shall rise, the Li clan shall be their aid'!"

Li Yi's eyes lit up. Didn't that mean…

"And another line: 'The Liu clan shall rise again, the Li clan shall be their aid'!"

Li Tong laughed. "The way I see it, this prophecy points not to the Li of Zhao-Wei, but to the Li of Nanyang!"

"Now the four quarters are in turmoil, the Xin is doomed, and the Han must rise anew. I have surveyed the Liu-lineage clans of Nanyang, and only Chongling's Liu Bosheng embraces all with magnanimity — he is the man to plan great things with!"

Li Yi's face changed at once. "But Liu Bosheng has a blood feud with our family."

"Elder Brother, your brother by the same mother died at the hands of Liu Bosheng's retainers — have you forgotten?"

Li Yi had assumed Li Tong had him send men to secretly watch Chongling as a precaution against an enemy. Never had he imagined Li Tong was considering an alliance.

"For a brother's death, one does not sheathe one's blade; for a friend's death, one does not share the same kingdom. How can we turn around and 'aid' his family? Even if we are to raise the banner, there are plenty of Liu-lineage clans in Nanyang. Even within the Chongling Liu, there are many branches. Why must we fixate on Liu Bosheng?"

"Because of his reputation."

Li Tong said, "A blood feud within the same surname cannot go unavenged, of course. But since my brother by the same mother bears a different surname, that is far less important than the interests of the clan."

"Let me ask you: if Liu Bosheng followed the example of the Liao clan of Pinglin and raised troops to answer the Greenwood call, how many men could he rally?"

Li Yi calculated. "Liu Bosheng is a famed gallant across the commandery. The Chongling Liu clan is large in scale, with many retainers. Liu Bosheng has always harbored great ambitions and has been building his network for over ten years. Add the local stalwarts of Caiyang County, and in a short time he could raise five or six thousand men — even seven or eight thousand!"

"And Liu Yan has ties to the great Yin and Deng clans of Xinye, and marriage connections to the Fan clan of Huyang. If these three families answer the Liu call, they could raise another seven or eight thousand."

Their own Li family, with a single rallying cry, could muster about the same number. If the Li were the strongest among the established gentry on the lawful side, then the Chongling Liu, under the painstaking efforts of Liu Yan and his brothers, had forced their way up from middling power to become the strongest on the outlaw side. Their own clan's strength was not exceptional, but in these times, what mattered most? Reputation!

The gallants and stalwarts of Nanyang would not rebel at the Li family's call — but at a single word from Liu Bosheng, they would bare their right shoulders, take up arms, and strike down officials.

This was why Li Tong had his eye on Chongling's Liu Bosheng. Only by joining forces could they make Nanyang fall and change its banners in a single night. And only by the Nanyang magnates working together could they secure their own interests, caught between the imperial armies and the Greenwood forces.

"Liu Bosheng has always drawn a clear line between gratitude and grievance. He killed my brother by the same mother, and I have not pursued it. He owes our family an enormous debt of honor — and that debt is precisely what can become our bargaining chip once the rising begins!"

Whether they would feast from five cauldrons or be boiled in five cauldrons — it all hung on this move. Li Tong's mind was made up. "Send someone to Chongling at once…"

Li Yi, too, was won over. "Hold on. A round trip to Chongling will take several days, and things may change. Better to consult someone else first. I hear that early this year, to avoid Diwu Lun's conscription, he fled to Yingchuan and Runan. Recently he returned to Nanyang. He is in Wancheng right now — our eyes spotted him."

"Who?"

"Liu Bosheng's full younger brother — Liu Xiu!"

…

Liu Xiu had indeed returned to Wancheng only a few days earlier. He was staying in a lane-house with his close friend Zhu You, actively helping Liu Bosheng contact anti-Xin loyalists — when word suddenly came that the enemy Li Yi was at the door, calling out an invitation to a banquet…

Zhu You was horrified. "Has our plan been exposed?"

Knowing the feud between the Liu and Li families, he sprang up at once, ready to scale the wall and flee.

Liu Xiu pulled Zhu You back and had him open the window shutters to look outside. The lane was swarming with Li family retainers and enforcers. Where could they run?

"Wancheng is the Li clan's territory. If they meant to settle the feud, we would already be dead. Where could we flee to?"

In the courtyard, Li Yi called out again: "Wenshu, set your mind at ease. My elder brother wishes only to meet in sincerity and good faith — no other intent."

Liu Xiu called back loudly: "I have long wished to pay my respects to the Li brothers. It is exactly what I desire! I am coming now!"

He turned back to Zhu You with a bitter smile. "Things have come to this. Even if it is a banquet at Hongmen, I must go."

With that, Liu Xiu straightened his robes and cap — but slipped a small knife inside his lapel.

"Wenshu, you've already resolved to attend. What good will that little knife do?" Zhu You knew Liu Xiu's martial prowess was far inferior to his elder brother's. What use was a blade? If it were Liu Bosheng, he would either cut his way out or stride in with open confidence. This younger brother's temperament was utterly different.

Liu Xiu, too, was resigned. Patting the small knife at his chest, he said, "Since it is a Hongmen banquet, I have neither Zhang Liang's wisdom, nor Chen Ping's cunning, nor Xiang Bo's aid. And this — only this…"

"Is my Fan Kuai, to steady my nerve!"

…

PS: The Emperor (Liu Xiu), fearing their resentment, had avoided them. They sent a messenger to say the Li wished to meet in sincerity and good faith with no other intent. Only then did the Emperor meet them, carrying a concealed blade for his own protection as he entered. — Dongguan Han Ji