Chapter 218: The Realm's Harms and Gains

"The realm has long suffered under Wang Mang's tyranny!"

When Feng Yan saw that Diwu Lun did not slam the table and fly into a rage after these words burst from his lips, he sensed that this "Great Xin loyalist" had likely dropped the pretense too, and his courage swelled. He then launched into the finest exposition of his career as a military advisor, bitterly denouncing Wang Mang's misrule.

"Since Wang Mang seized power, beginning with the campaign in Dong Commandery and followed by the expedition to the Western Sea, Ba and Shu have been lost to the southern barbarians, and the borderlands have been ravaged by the northern Di. Campaigns stretching ten thousand li, armies exposed year after year, calamities unresolved — this is the harm of endless war."

"And Wang Mang's orders shift overnight, his laws grow ever harsher, his taxes ever heavier. Factions of the wicked run rampant at court, the hundred officials are greedy and cruel within, and the innocent common folk suffer hunger and cold alike — this is the harm of chaotic governance."

"So that fathers and sons are driven into exile, husbands and wives torn apart, homesteads reduced to mounds of rubble, fields overgrown with weeds. Plagues rage, disasters and portents swarm. Every common man and woman harbors bitter resentment. Across the rivers and lakes, along the shores of the seas and mountains, unrest surges like wind and waves. The Red Eyebrows and the Greenwood have raised armies one after another, and the people of the borderlands have had their brains dashed upon the ground!"

"At such a moment, only you, Lord Diwu, hold Wei alone, with the Taihang Mountains to the west and the Red Eyebrows held at bay to the east. The populace is numerous and well-provisioned, the grain harvests uniquely abundant. This is a land crisscrossed by armies, a field of attack and defense. The lives of a million souls in Wei and Shouliang rest in your hands, my lord. How can you abandon them at a single conscription order from Wang Mang?"

"Furthermore, after the Battle of Chengchang and the siege of Wancheng, even with Wang Yi commanding several hundred thousand troops, the tide could not be turned. The Xin's days are numbered — why emulate Lian Dan and go to your death for Wang Mang?"

When this speech was done, the "great harms" had been laid out clearly enough. Diwu Lun then asked him: "But the court's edicts are urgent. Do you have a stratagem to teach me, sir, so I might escape this calamity?"

"That is not difficult." Feng Yan smiled. "It comes down to four words."

Diwu Lun knew his way of thinking: "Could it be... borrowing the bandits to intimidate the throne?"

"Precisely!"

Feng Yan clapped his hands. "My lord can send men to spread word that although the Red Eyebrows were defeated, their remnants have joined the forces of Dong Xian and Fan Chong, and they intend to muster a great army of over a hundred thousand to attack Hebei, burn Yuancheng, slaughter the great clans, and avenge Chi Zhaoping."

"Thus the commandery will be in a state of alarm three times a day. The powerful families will rely all the more on my lord, and the officials will be loath to see you leave."

Diwu Lun shook his head. "Dong Xian is in Juye, said to be moving south toward Liang Commandery, while Fan Chong has fought his way to Donghai Commandery in Xuzhou. How could they suddenly cross a thousand li and appear here in Hebei?"

This reasoning might fool the locals, but the court could receive reports from every commandery — the pretext was a bit flimsy. It was not that it could not be used, but Diwu Lun deliberately exposed the flaw to draw out the deeper calculations Feng Yan was holding back.

Sure enough, Feng Yan said pensively, "If that is not enough, we can also make use of the Zhao-Liu faction in Handan!"

He volunteered: "I am willing to make another trip on my lord's behalf. Before, the aim was to pacify those people, but now, it would be better to goad Liu Lin into raising troops in response to the Han Emperor in Wancheng! Once Handan and Changshan rise up, Wei and Shangdang can pretend to attack each other. That way, my lord will be unable to extricate himself, Wang Mang's edict will resolve itself, and because they will need my lord to guard the gateway to the Three He regions, they will not dare make trouble for the Diwu family's dependents."

"Pretend to attack each other?" Diwu Lun smiled. "If that is the pretense, then what is the truth?"

Feng Yan said, as if it were obvious: "The truth... is, of course, that Wei, Shangdang, and the Zhao-Liu faction join hands to protect each other in this chaotic age."

Good heavens, this Feng Yan really was dancing on three eggs at once. If things slipped out of control then, would it be you, Feng Jingtong, who decided whether the fighting was real or feigned?

Diwu Lun feigned hesitation. "In name, I am still a minister of the Xin. If Handan openly pledges allegiance to the Han Emperor, how can the two sides join hands and work together?"

Feng Yan smiled. "If my lord secretly abandons the dying Xin and turns to the restored Han, would that not solve it? This brings me to the benefit to the altars of state!"

"In Wei, there is a prophecy: 'The House of Han shall rise again.' Though it is not to be fully trusted, many repeat it. The people's hearts despise the Xin and long for the Han — this is already the norm."

Feng Yan spoke with eloquence: "The House of Han brought peace for two hundred years; the common people were deeply nourished by its grace. The Xin has brought chaos for over ten years; the people have tasted its bitterness to the full. Thus, men cherish the virtue of Han more than the men of Zhou longed for the Duke of Shao. What the people sing and dance for, Heaven will surely follow! In my view, the great trend under Heaven from now on will surely be the resurgence of the Fiery Han!"

Diwu Lun said impassively: "You speak of a Han resurgence — do you mean that 'Gengshi Emperor' down in Nanyang?"

"From this day forward, who knows how many will falsely claim the name of Han and usurp its title? It is still uncertain."

Feng Yan said: "If the Han of the Greenwood defeats Wang Yi's great army, then every commandery under Heaven will submit to the Gengshi Emperor like flowing water, impossible to oppose. At that time, if my lord joins hands with the Zhao factions and Shangdang to pacify Hebei, your merit will be no less than that of Wu Rui of Changsha. In days to come, you will not fail to become a feudal lord of a region."

A feudal lord holding a corner of the realm? The non-Liu kings under old Liu's house did not meet very good ends — either chopped into meat paste or forced to eat human meat paste with their heads held down.

Feng Yan continued his analysis: "And if the Greenwood does not prevail, and the Xin army crushes the Gengshi Emperor, my lord will already have broken with Wang Mang. You could then set up one man from the Zhao-Liu or Zhending-Liu factions as sovereign and continue to raise the Han banner. You would surely be a pillar of state, and in the name of Han Chancellor, win the people's hearts and establish yourself as a worthy aide to renowned sages."

He had long since planned everything for Diwu Lun: "By then, the three armies will be in order, armor and weapons ready. To the north, rely on the aid of Handan and Changshan; to the west, command the troops of Shangdang, take Hedong, pacify Taiyuan, and peer into Guanzhong. To the south, you can send troops into Qing and Yan provinces, advance into the Central Plains. Given time, you will surely accomplish the great enterprise of a nation and achieve the primal merit of Heaven and Earth! At that time, my lord's relation to the Han will be like that of Duke Huan of Shao to the Zhou — fortune and emolument flowing without end, glorious deeds recorded imperishably."

How stirringly he spoke. But, was that not still just being a hired hand?

In any case, today Diwu Lun had finally drawn out Feng Yan's true plan and understood his caliber and his thinking.

Feng Yan had a bit more substance than Diwu Lun had expected, and his analysis was reasonable enough. Though pinning all the blame on Wang Mang alone was somewhat simplistic, given the state the realm had reached, Wang Mang was by no means wronged.

It was just that Feng Yan's little tendency to act on his own initiative, and his worldview firmly convinced that the House of Han was bound to rise again, did not quite align with his "lord's" own intentions.

Diwu Lun therefore showed a smile. "After hearing your words, sir, the great trends of the realm are all clear in my mind. Jingtong, you are truly my Zifang!"

After Feng Yan left, contentedly waving his informal fan in the belief that Diwu Lun was now convinced by his stratagems, the next person to enter the hall was Geng Chun.

"My lord." Ever since Geng Chun had come to owe Diwu Lun a great debt, he no longer addressed him by his courtesy name, but used this title instead.

Geng Chun discussed the two commanderies' defenses with Diwu Lun and was very optimistic: "The ice on the great river melted in the first month, and after summer begins, the current will be even greater, so vast and mighty that one cannot tell oxen from horses on the opposite banks. Unless the Red Eyebrow Army can fly, they absolutely cannot invade Hebei."

"As for the bandit groups like the Bronze Horses in neighboring Qinghe Commandery and other areas, because my lord dealt the Red Eyebrows a crushing defeat and gave the Five Towers bandits a painful lesson, none dare rashly encroach on Shouliang and Weicheng. They would rather plunder north into Youzhou or west into Julu and Guangping."

Geng Chun's hometown, Songzi County, which now belonged to Hecheng Commandery, had suffered bandit raids. Geng Chun was even considering moving his entire clan to Weicheng.

The emergence of bandits had also led the various powers in Hebei's You and Ji provinces to band together, and the center was not limited to Diwu Lun's faction in the far south alone.

Local strongmen everywhere, especially the former Liu county marquises, began to rally under the three major remnants of the former dynasty: Liu Lin of Handan, Liu Yang of Zhending, and Liu Jie, the Prince of Guangyang, in the north. The entrenched bandit lords began to fight the roving bandits, too busy for the moment to join the Greenwood in rebellion.

Under these circumstances, although Diwu Lun's territory of a commandery and a half had hidden troubles, it no longer faced clear external threats. Geng Chun believed that with himself and Ma Yuan there, they were enough to hold the ground for Diwu Lun.

When discussing the current situation, the first half of Geng Chun's analysis was much like Feng Yan's — both felt the Xin was finished — but he was more plain-spoken and sincere, not given to the bombast of lobbyists and wandering scholars.

But what came next — in the moment of the Xin's collapse, what should they do? Geng Chun's gaze, unlike Feng Yan's, was not fixed on distant horizons, but firmly on every brick and tile beneath his feet.

"In these times of turmoil, the first priority is still to secure the safety of the clan before considering anything else."

Geng Chun still wore hemp mourning cloth over his official robes. He was still observing the three-year mourning period for his father, Geng Ai, who had perished in Dingtao.

Perhaps because of the missed chance to rescue his father, unlike Feng Yan, who firmly opposed Diwu Lun obeying the imperial summons to return to the capital, Geng Chun was quite supportive of him going back.

"My lord, why not feign compliance, return to Guanzhong to obtain military authority, but then, instead of campaigning south to Wancheng for the Xin, directly lead the troops in a mutiny!"

Geng Chun had even thought of the pretext for Diwu Lun: "At court, there are many who bear grudges against my lord, such as the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, Chen Chong, and others. Just say that petty men and treacherous sycophants slandered you, causing the muddle-headed Emperor to want to kill my lord. It was the Xin who were unjust first — they cannot blame you for disloyalty."

"The temporarily controlled soldiers and able-bodied conscripts cannot compare to elite troops and may not be a match for the Eight Colonels of the Northern Army. But you could manage to rescue your grandfather, then bring your clan, and with tens of thousands of people, strike east into Hedong, and then return to Wei via Shangdang, which is friendly to our commandery!"

"At that time, I am willing to go and meet you, and my nephew Bozhao is even more willing to accompany you west as the vanguard of your army!"

Bozhao was Geng Yan. This gave Diwu Lun a start. Only then did Geng Chun explain that a few days ago, Geng Yan had once again, yet again, wanted to resign and leave!

Geng Chun explained: "This time, however, it is because he received a letter from his father, the Governor of Shuodiao, asking Bozhao to return to Guanzhong to bring the clan members in Maoling away..."

Even rats will flee when they sense a ship is sinking, let alone sensitive frontier officials. It seemed that the Governor of Shuodiao, Geng Kuang, was also ready to jump ship, but taking his entire clan and fleeing to the distant Shanggu in Youzhou would indeed be difficult.

Wei was much closer!

Geng Chun's support for Diwu Lun's return was, in fact, a request for him to bring the Maoling Geng clan along as well.

So that was his hidden card! On the surface, Geng Chun still appeared wholly concerned for Diwu Lun: "In this way, Bozhao and his father will also owe my lord a great debt. How could he still speak of leaving?"

Do you Geng family members all like to owe favors first, and then repay them with your very persons?

Geng Chun touched the coarse hemp robe he wore and said with deep sorrow: "As a friend, I have always known how Boyu cherishes his clan. I only hope you will not end up like me, regretting it every waking moment!"

"And as for the public good — this trip to Guanzhong, no more than three months round trip, will let you openly and honorably sever ties with the Xin, free of any lingering worries, and then you can devote yourself wholly to the great undertaking!"

Geng Chun's proposal was sound enough, but what Diwu Lun cared about more was the real substance to come, so he pressed on: "Boshon, what great undertaking do you mean?"

"If the name is not right, the words will not carry; if the words do not carry, the deed cannot succeed. Since you have abandoned the Xin, you are no longer Governor of Yanzhou or Duke of Reform — you must have a new title."

Geng Chun said: "In this present age, since it is no longer Xin, then naturally it must be the restoration of Han."

At these words, Diwu Lun's heart instantly went cold.

Geng Boshan smiled. "I have observed the shape of the realm. Restoring the Han is the prevailing tide, and the swiftest way to rally the scholars and the common people to answer the call. Had the Red Eyebrows raised a banner earlier and set up a Liu of Qing or Xu as emperor, how could they have split into three and scattered? It was the Greenwood in the south who seized the initiative, gathering bold spirits from every quarter and winning the eyes of all under heaven!"

"By the time you return safely to Yecheng, the Xin army and the Greenwood will have decided the outcome in the south. Whoever wins, in my view, you should raise the scarlet banner, take up arms, and answer the Han! This way you can avoid making enemies of the northern Liu clans. If the realm returns to peace, it will be enough to make your name illustrious and protect your clan. If the chaos continues, you can use that name to plan the seizure of Yanzhou and spread your prestige far and wide!"

……

Geng Chun and Diwu Lun drank and talked cheerfully before he departed. Diwu Lun stared at the empty cup and for a long time said nothing, only thinking to himself: "Feng Yan thinking so is one thing, but I never imagined Boshan would see it the same way."

Though one had urged Diwu Lun not to enter the Pass and the other supported his return, the two men shared much common ground.

Both believed the Xin would fall — but was that not obvious to everyone under heaven?

Both held that Diwu Lun should make Wei in Jizhou his base — and that was perfectly correct.

Although a few years ago Diwu Lun had planned to rely on his clan and light a fire in Guanzhong, that had been a last resort when he had no other choice. Now his power in Wei was fully formed, and whether he went to Guanzhong or not, in the end he would return to Wei.

Yet on that final point alone, when talk turned to longer-range plans, the two men fell into the same strange loop.

They both believed that the people's hearts yearned for Han — that this was the great tide — and that if one did not choose to be a loyal servant of the Great Xin, then one must prop up the fallen signboard of the Former Han.

Diwu Lun could only sigh inwardly: Wang Mang, oh Wang Mang — that you could turn hearts from the widespread loathing of the Han over a decade ago, when people wished the Liu clan would hurry up and leave the stage, into the situation today — truly you deserve the title "Duke Who Pacifies the Han"!

He raised his head and looked past the screen. "Elder, the man is gone. Come out and drink."

As it turned out, the earliest to arrive had been Ma Yuan, but Diwu Lun had told him to listen from behind the screen and make no sound.

Ma Yuan had long been unable to contain himself. He came out, knelt and sat opposite Diwu Lun, raised a cup of wine, and drained it in one gulp.

Diwu Lun asked him: "Well?"

Ma Yuan lifted his eyes and looked at him. "As for whether to obey the summons and enter the Pass to take command of troops, Boyu, you must have already made up your mind long ago. You merely wished to know what others think — why deliberately ask me?"

"What I am asking is…"

Diwu Lun fixed his eyes on Ma Yuan. This was the man he could trust to the utmost — bound by long friendship and by marriage ties, one could say their glory was shared, their ruin shared. And his wife's pregnancy had lasted long; the crystallized bloodline of their two families would soon be born.

Ma Yuan was even the first person to whom Diwu Lun had revealed his "great ambition" — though back then, before Helan Mountain, Diwu Lun's ambition had still been half-hidden, like a pipa held behind a veil, and he had not dared to speak too plainly.

But now, the fork in the road that would decide the future of their small faction lay right before them, and Ma Yuan was, in Diwu Lun's mind, the foremost general under his command. Some things, the two of them had to speak of clearly tonight!

"Wenyuan, do you also believe that after the Xin is overthrown, a Han restoration is the only road ahead — that it is what benefits all under heaven?"

……

PS: Tomorrow's update at 13:00.