Chapter 223: Fight Only When You Can Win

"The Duke of Zhou personally opens this — Diwu Lun bows twice and speaks…"

Though Diwu Lun thought to himself, "You fight your war, I'll fight mine," the moment the word "Kunyang" triggered a faint impression, he felt he had glimpsed a heavenly secret and could not resist interfering a little.

Though the distance was too great to lend a hand, he could still lend his voice!

But knowing what he did of the Great Xin's God of War — Grand Minister of Works, Marquis of Longxin, Grand General of the Tiger Teeth Wang Yi — he understood that the old fellow had always been at odds with Yan You, and by extension had never once looked Diwu Lun straight in the eye. The man might even feel that the Diwu brat, having been made "Marquis of Weixin" and thus ranked equal to himself, harbored some discontent.

With such a self-willed man, even trusted confidants might not persuade him, let alone Diwu Lun. And so, the approach still had to begin with his fellow sufferer in Yingchuan — Dou Rong.

"Dou Rong is Wang Yi's kinsman and former subordinate. Perhaps Wang Yi would heed a suggestion or two from him?"

It was with this thought of giving it a try that Diwu Lun dispatched a man from Henei to deliver this letter to Dou Rong.

Yet once the silk was actually spread open, Diwu Lun found himself at a loss for words. In his past life as an ordinary netizen, regarding the transition between the two Han dynasties and the Battle of Kunyang, he remembered only the famous memes; the details he knew not at all.

After much pondering, he could only proceed from the military and geographical vantage: analyzing that while Kunyang was the most convenient route for the great army to march south on Wancheng, it was hard to assault; better to divide the forces and take the Luyang Pass instead…

He also repeatedly brought up the man Liu Xiu, deeming him a great foe of the court, and hoped Dou Rong would take him seriously — and there was no way Dou Rong could not take him seriously, for word had it that the Duke of Zhou was being chased all over Yingchuan by Liu Xiu.

Though once the timeline shifted, the script might be thrown completely into chaos, one still had to guard against it. In closing, Diwu Lun resorted to the military yin-yang school's brand of superstition, warning Dou Rong: "The Zuo Tradition says: 'A fallen star is a meteorite.' Among our army is one skilled in star-gazing. Observing the heavens by night, he foretells that within a few months, a star may fall near Kunyang…"

The letter finished, Diwu Lun cast aside his brush, gazed longingly southward, and with tears in his eyes sighed:

"Duke of Zhou, ah, Duke of Zhou — this is all the help I can give you!"

Who could say what change his paltry suggestion might bring to the fates of Liu Xiu, Dou Rong, and Wang Yi?

In sum, a thousand words, ten thousand phrases, distilled into four:

"Beware of meteorites!"

…

At that moment in Yingchuan Commandery, the sky was perfectly clear, without the slightest unusual sign. Dou Rong had long since withdrawn a hundred li to avoid Liu Xiu: since he knew his remnant troops could not win, and he was hardly set on dying a martyr for the Xin Dynasty, why not flee to join Wang Yi — what was he waiting for?

The Han troops, meanwhile, were encamped outside Fucheng County. Zhu You, eyeing the gates that remained tightly shut, grew somewhat troubled and could not help turning back to complain: "Wenshu, letting that Feng Gongsun return to the city was still rather rash."

To recount: a few days prior, Precinct Chief Fu Jun had bound the Postal Inspector Feng Yi and brought him in surrender. Feng Yi refused to submit, but Liu Xiu was quite intrigued by this minor inspector who had repeatedly repelled his attacks. He not only had the man untied but also gave him good food and drink.

During the feast, Liu Xiu conversed with Feng Yi and discovered he possessed both literary talent and military acumen, and praised him all the more. Feng Yi was versed in the Zuo Tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals and had assumed the Greenwood chieftains were crude men; he had not expected to encounter Liu Xiu, a student of the Imperial Academy. Observing his speech and bearing, he was no common fellow, and his army's discipline was better than the Greenwood's — they were not ravaging the Yingchuan countryside.

The two men appreciated one another. One moment they were adversaries; the next, they were conversing with great delight.

Liu Xiu even toasted Feng Yi, acknowledging his capable command, and said that when it came to contesting cities and seizing territory, he himself was somewhat outmatched.

But then Liu Xiu shifted tone and spoke of the greater trends under Heaven, holding that Wang Mang was like the doomed Qin. Though he had now massed a great army and marched south, it was but a final flicker before death, not even matching Zhang Han's forces. In the long view, he was certain to lose!

This was an offer for Feng Yi to surrender. And it was only then that Feng Yi discovered his own cousin and several fellow townsmen had long since surrendered to Liu Xiu and were offering him counsel. One and all urged Feng Yi to join them and surrender as well.

"Yi is but the strength of a single man — not enough to tip the scales."

Feng Yi made this request: "I have an aged mother within Fucheng County. I wish to return, and afterward present the city I oversee as a gift, thus proving my service and repaying your virtue, General Liu."

Liu Xiu readily agreed without hesitation and directly released Feng Yi. This set Zhu You stamping his feet, convinced Liu Xiu had been duped: "Once Feng Yi leaves, he will surely not return!"

"He will certainly return." Liu Xiu was so certain. When it came to judging men, he was a shade better than his elder brother. He smiled: "Feng Gongsun is a man who keeps his word."

Zhu You shook his head, still unconvinced — until dusk, when the great gates of distant Fucheng County swung open, and Feng Yi emerged from the city with the County Magistrate, the Commandant, and the Aide, and surrendered to Liu Xiu.

"Well?" Liu Xiu laughed heartily and spurred his horse forward to greet Feng Yi.

Zhu You, watching Liu Xiu's retreating figure, found it somewhat hard to believe. If last year Liu Xiu had given the impression of nothing more than "a refined, cultured, and reliable honest man," then from this year onward — more precisely, since the disastrous defeat at Little Chang'an, where he lost in succession his elder sister, his elder brother, and his new bride — after suffering these colossal blows, Liu Xiu's disposition had undergone a subtle change.

The heroic, dauntless spirit that Zhu You had once seen only in his elder brother Liu Bosheng was now beginning to surface in Liu Xiu. It made him more charismatic, yet did not impair his wisdom and cool-headedness at critical moments.

"Wenshu is not the same as before."

What Zhu You did not know was that, seeing Feng Yi come out to surrender as promised, Liu Xiu — who had been far from confident — also let out a long breath of relief.

Liu Xiu believed in portents and fortune, and could only sigh: "Ever since I entered Yingchuan, my luck seems to be slowly turning for the better!"

…

By mid-fourth month, as Liu Xiu had taken several counties in Yingchuan in succession and gained the allegiance of men like Feng Yi and Fu Jun, Ren Guang — likewise a man of Nanyang — was making a choice of his own.

He did not go to Wei to live a peaceful life. Instead, after having his clansmen and retainers escort Cen Peng's son north, he himself followed close on Diwu Lun's heels, expressing his willingness to cling to Diwu Lun's tail and serve at his side.

"A clever man." Feng Yan tilted his head, watching Ren Guang, who was considerably older than himself and wore an expression of utter honesty.

"He knows that he once refused Lord Diwu's summons and only came when he had no other way out. Now that the situation in Wei has taken shape, in terms of merit and seniority, he would rank behind those who were there at the founding. If Ren Boqing went back to Wei now and worked only under Ma Yuan and Geng Chun, he would have little hope of ever rising."

"This westward journey, on the other hand, is another fine chance to prove his loyalty and squeeze into the inner circle!"

Diwu Lun granted Ren Guang's request and asked what post he had held in Yan You's army.

"I served as a provisions officer, and also as an Pacification Clerk."

"Then Boqing shall be my Pacification Clerk." Diwu Lun restored Ren Guang to his former office. As the name implied, his duty was to settle and oversee the troops, following behind to supervise military discipline.

As Feng Yan had predicted, Ren Guang had already brought his entire clan and all his retainers to Hebei to pledge himself to Diwu Lun. But he had neither brought an army of his own, nor had the talents he recommended — like his fellow townsman Wu Han — been recruited by Diwu Lun, by a twist of fate. Here he had not a single acquaintance, and for the moment found himself in an awkward position, having to start his struggle from scratch.

Having obtained the post of Pacification Clerk, he was already quite pleased: Ask not what your lord can give you — first ask what you can bring your lord!

Thus Ren Guang threw himself into his work with full force. During the march, he observed Diwu Lun's soldiers and found them to be elite troops, one picked from ten. Not only were they extremely orderly, but each man either possessed exceptional individual skill or had previously served as a Sergeant or Corporal. If all the troops in Wei were like this, it was no wonder Diwu Lun had been able to hold off the Red Eyebrows and make his name shake the He-Ji region.

"If one day he takes Henei, then with the great river between them, holding off the Greenwood to the south would be no trouble at all."

After spending a day or so counting heads, Ren Guang discovered that while Diwu Lun openly claimed to have eight hundred men, the actual number he had brought along exceeded a thousand!

And what exactly Diwu Lun intended to do on this westward journey into the capital remained a mystery. As a newly joined peripheral figure, Ren Guang naturally had no way of learning the truth, and could only steel himself and follow along.

He had no other choice left.

Along the way, Feng Yan also lost no opportunity to draw Ren Guang into conversation. Ren Guang was his usual self: so long as Diwu Lun was not personally asking, he played dumb, then turned around and flattered Feng Yan to the skies. This lowered Feng Yan's guard against him; unaware of the man's hidden cunning, Feng Yan took Ren Guang for just an ordinary village Bailiff, a minor provisions officer, with no great breadth of vision.

In high spirits, Military Advisor Feng could not resist holding forth and boasting of his own insights.

They had reached the westernmost edge of Henei. On the open plain, a towering mountain seemed to burst abruptly from the wheat fields, cleanly and decisively severing the road ahead in the space of a finger-snap.

"Does Boqing know what mountain this is?"

Ren Guang's face was a complete blank: "Taihang?"

"Wrong. This is actually Mount Wangwu."

Feng Yan told Ren Guang that this was a spur of the Taihang range — Mount Wangwu. And the mountain chain that stretched across the northern bank of the Yellow River, facing Wangwu, was Mount Bo (the Zhongtiao Mountains).

The tiny gap between the two mountains, it was said, was the path cleared by the Foolish Old Man who moved the mountains in high antiquity, and had now become the first of the Eight Taihang Passes: the Zhi Pass Road (Jiyuan, Henan).

A single road squeezed between two mountains — the terrain was perilous in the extreme. The troops threaded through the valley floor, the cliffs on either side bearing down on them with the force of toppling mountains and overturned seas. The vast shadows cast by the slopes swallowed the entire road, and the high, menacing crags stood like soldiers on sentry duty. Ren Guang, who had grown up on the southern plains and never seen northern mountain country, glanced from side to side and could not help a flicker of misgiving: Could there be an ambush ahead?

Fortunately, Diwu Lun did not laugh out loud. For now, the Zhi Pass Road they were traveling connected Henei and Hedong (southern Shanxi), both still under Xin Dynasty control and fairly stable. Even if there were bandits and highwaymen about, they would not dare molest an army.

"This road may look treacherous, but it is the most convenient route between the two regions."

Feng Yan told the "utterly clueless" Ren Guang: "King Hui of Wei once said, 'As for my state, I exhaust my heart on its behalf. When Henei suffers famine, I shift its people to Hedong and shift grain to Henei; when Hedong suffers famine, I do likewise.' … He took this very road."

After all, three hundred years ago, whether Hedong, Henei, or the present Wei territory, all had been part of the State of Wei at its zenith. Even into the early Han, some still called Wei Commandery "Eastern Wei" and Hedong "Western Wei."

That mere few dozen li of the Zhi Pass Road took them three full days to cover. After a thousand twists and turns, they passed through the Zhi Pass stronghold, and only then did Ren Guang realize that, without his noticing, the road had risen from the valley floor. Looking out, the land stretched flat and open, with houses standing in orderly rows.

They were already inside Hedong's borders. Turning back, he saw the peach blossoms at the mountain's foot had withered and fallen, yet here, the hillsides were still ablaze with brilliant purples and reds — as if it were still spring.

Under the Xin Dynasty, Hedong was called the "Zhao Cohort." The Zhao Cohort's troops had likewise been transferred to Luoyang, adding bricks and tiles to the Grand Minister of Works' four-hundred-thousand-strong army. Diwu Lun, bearing an envoy's credentials and tally, passed through without hindrance.

Hedong's lands were vast, rich, and level. Though the party had no time to linger, along the way they still saw the ruins of the Xia sovereigns, the new Jiang capital of Jin, the Wei capital Anyi, and the dazzling white of the Xie Salt Ponds.

The waterworks here were no worse than those within the Passes. Many of the canals dug in the time of Emperor Wu of Han still irrigated the land, making Hedong mighty in territory and strength — the very reason it could grip the Passes' elbow and flank.

At last, in late fourth month, the party, having trekked over a thousand li, reached the end of Hedong. Before them surged the Yellow River, and on the opposite bank lay a bustling ferry crossing.

Diwu Lun scooped up a handful of Yellow River water — not as muddy as the lower reaches, but not as clear as the upper reaches in New Qinzhong either. He and this long river truly were bound by fate.

He had never been here before, so he pointed at the ford and pass across the river and asked, "Jingtong, that is the Pu Crossing Pass, is it not?"

"Exactly!"

Feng Yan said, "What is called 'Within the Passes' means the land within all the passes: Xiao Pass to the north, Hangu to the east, Wu Pass to the south, San Pass to the west. But on the great river, there is also a pass — Puban Crossing."

"Since the Spring and Autumn period, this place has been a great river-and-pass defense, contested many times by Qin and Jin. During the Chu-Han struggle, the High Emperor and Han Xin crossed the river here to strike Western Wei. In the sixth year of Yuanfeng under the previous dynasty's Martial Emperor, Pu Crossing Pass was established, with pass officials appointed to inspect travelers. Wu Pass and Hangu guard the east and south, while Linjin guards Bing Province and Ji Province."

Since it was a pass, it was certainly garrisoned. Across the river, indeed, troops were stationed, under the jurisdiction of the Division Commandant commandery.

The Grand Governor of the Division Commandant was none other than Tian Kuang — the very man who, for doing too good a job resisting the Red Eyebrows in Qing Province and then declaring he would concurrently shepherd two provinces, had been recalled by Wang Mang. The year before, this man had prevented the Boar-Rush Braves from crossing the river eastward, which meant he had a small score to settle with Diwu Lun.

And it was here that Ren Guang at last offered his first piece of counsel since following Diwu Lun.

"My lord." Ren Guang said, "Though I was in the Front Cohort, I often heard that this Tian Kuang is a harsh, unyielding man. Moreover, passes invariably conduct searches. Our force reported a strength of eight hundred to the court; if our numbers greatly exceed that, I fear we will be obstructed, which would spoil your great undertaking and prove worse than useless."

Along the journey, he had already guessed that Diwu Lun's return to the capital this time was aimed at something far larger.

Indeed, this was no moment for petty cleverness. Diwu Lun's purpose in bringing extra men had never been to march them all into the capital — he had other plans. Now that Ren Guang had raised the point, he smiled and said, "Boqing speaks wisely. The two-hundred-odd extra men in our force — on account of the troops' exhaustion — will have to rest and recover in Zhao Cohort Commandery!"

Diwu Lun had someone leave the Zhao Cohort Grand Governor a substantial sum of silk, asking him to help settle these soldiers who, having blistered their feet or sprained their legs on the road, had no choice but to halt and recuperate on the spot.

This trip into the capital carried no small risk. Diwu Lun had no hundred-percent certainty of success; he would take it one step at a time.

Warfare holds no great mystery. In simple terms, it comes down to two phrases: fight when you can win, and leave when you cannot!

This time he had deliberately chosen the line through Henei, the Zhi Pass Road, Hedong, and Pu Crossing Pass — this was their route in.

"And it is also our route of retreat!"

These two-hundred-odd soldiers he had brought along were kept precisely to guard the retreat path. Diwu Lun always planned for defeat before planning for victory. If he found that his scheme had once again come to nothing and was truly unworkable, he would not force it.

Better then to use Geng Chun's strategy: take the Diwu, Geng, and Ma clan kinsmen, sweep up those hometown talents willing or unwilling to follow him, and fight their way back to Wei territory along the same road they had come!

At that point, Ma Yuan, as agreed, would launch a surprise attack on Henei upon receiving word, acting as a link-up. Diwu Lun, for his part, would be responsible for "conveniently" taking Hedong along the way, thus seizing all the ancient lands of the complete State of Wei and tripling his territory — a guaranteed profit with no loss either way.

But it was still far too early to dwell on such things. Diwu Lun and the eight hundred handpicked stalwarts under his command still had a great deed to accomplish!

The pawn was about to cross the river — about to take that step.

Standing beside the surging, billowing Yellow River, Diwu Lun, in full battle dress, turned back to look at Wan Xiu, Geng Yan, Peng Chong, Feng Yan, Ren Guang, and the others, then was the first to step onto the boat.

The boat rocked a little, and Diwu Lun's hand pointed to the opposite shore — to Pu Crossing Pass with its massed shadows of vessels, and beyond the pass, the sun-sinking heartland of the Xin.

This return was unlike any previous trip back to the capital to report on his duties. Diwu Lun's heart surged with an inexplicable agitation.

Because, from the fourth year of Tianfeng to the fourth year of Dihuang — the sixth year since he had arrived in this era — Diwu Lun had at last waited for this day, the day he could speak those words!

"Enter the Pass!"

…

PS: (Alliance Leader bonus chapter 2/17, thanks to Oda Nobusuke)

Tomorrow's update will be at 13:00.