Chapter 231: Armed Remonstrance

"Lord Weixin, is something amiss?"

That night, Dong Zhong held a secret talk with Diwu Lun. When Diwu Lun asked who else was involved in this matter, Dong Zhong revealed a name that made Diwu Lun briefly lose his composure, then suddenly understand something with full clarity. He merely laughed and said:

"It's nothing."

Diwu Lun said, "I was merely surprised to learn that the General of the Guard, Lord Zhidao Wang She, is also part of this. He is an Upper Duke of the imperial clan, deeply favored and beloved by His Majesty."

Now that Wang She was involved, Diwu Lun suddenly understood why this man had so strenuously advised Wang Mang to transfer him back from Wei, "to give him an important post." That being the case, it seemed he had wronged the Ximen clan... but at this point, no one was innocent, and there was no such thing as false accusation anymore. He might as well let the mistake stand and trim the branches of that great house in Yecheng.

Dong Zhong assumed Diwu Lun was puzzled by Wang She's motive for joining the conspiracy, so he said, "Aside from lamenting that His Majesty heeds only the words of petty men and ignores loyal remonstrance, Lord Zhidao also disclosed one thing..."

"His Majesty's father, the late Marquis Ai of Xindu, suffered a minor ailment and found it difficult to perform the way of man, while his wife, the Lady of Gongxian, was always fond of drink and conducted herself loosely. Therefore, during the Han, the Marquis of Quyang, Wang Gen, suspected that His Majesty was not a son of the Wang clan at all. No one else knew of this; he told only his son, Lord Zhidao."

Diwu Lun was stunned. This was truly a monumental piece of gossip — whether true or false, Wang She, in order to preserve his clan, had actually claimed that Wang Mang was a bastard, outright expelling him from the Wang family register!

Diwu Lun found it rather absurd. By this reckoning, among the Great Xin's Four Supports, Three Dukes, and Four Generals, three — Liu Xin, Wang She, and Dong Zhong — were involved in the plot to overthrow Wang Mang. Aside from Liu Xin, the other two were probably seeing the Xin edifice about to collapse and wanted to strike first to save themselves. But what was the ultimate goal of their little cabal?

Dong Zhong still dared not tell Diwu Lun outright what the three were plotting — that "the east shall surely triumph, and the house of Liu shall rise again." He only said, "The realm's calamities have reached this point. Local strongmen and roving bandits have merged and risen together, all because of the Wang Fields and private retainers, the Five Equals and Six Monopolies. If all the reforms could be abolished entirely, the local prominent clans might turn and assist the government in exterminating the bandits."

"Yet His Majesty is obstinate, and with sycophants like the Marquis of Tongmu Chen Chong, the Marquis of Shuofu Cui Fa, and the Mingxue Scholar Zhang Han flattering him, there has been no repeal."

Though Wang Mang had applied the wrong medicine, making the body's festering sores worse instead of better, would simply withdrawing the medicine allow the patient to heal on his own? Where did that delusion come from? Moreover, if Diwu Lun remembered correctly, when Wang Mang first promulgated these policies, Liu Xin and the others had all cheered in unison. The Five Equals officials, in particular, had been proposed by Liu Xin himself, who had also supplied Wang Mang with many ancient texts as the basis for the reforms. Now they were dumping all the blame on old Wang and the many "vermin," casting themselves as the virtuous purists.

He continued listening as Dong Zhong laid out the plan for this coup: "In the Spring and Autumn Annals, Yu Quan forcefully remonstrated with King Wen of Chu. When the Chu ruler would not comply, he threatened him with weapons, and the king, in fear, obeyed."

Dong Zhong spoke harshly: "It is the same now. Since remonstrance with words goes unheeded, we can only remonstrate with arms!"

In the three men's plan, they would first sweep away the "vermin and petty men" surrounding the throne at court, "protect" the Emperor Wang Mang, then seize control of the commanderies and provinces west of the pass and see how the situation developed.

If it truly matched the celestial omens that the State Preceptor Liu Xin spoke of — that the east would surely triumph and the Grand Minister of Works would fail — then they would take Wang Mang east to surrender to the Han Son of Heaven, the Gengshi Emperor in Nanyang, to preserve their lives. If the Grand Minister of Works won, it would probably still be impossible to salvage the realm's situation...

In that case, they would set up an emperor themselves! The Han dynasty's last Crown Prince, the Infant Ruzi, whom Wang Mang had demoted to Duke of Ding'an — was he not a ready-made candidate!

To Diwu Lun, Dong Zhong only laid out the plan up to "holding the Son of Heaven to observe the shifts of the times," and promised him a position among the Four Supports and Three Dukes.

"After the deed is done — Grand Preceptor, Grand Minister of Works, Grand Chancellor — these posts, take your pick!" Dong Zhong and the others knew that this armed remonstrance could not do without Diwu Lun.

Grand Preceptor Diwu — that had a rather nice ring to it...

"I, Lun, am young and of meager virtue; to rank among the ducal ministers is not my desire." Diwu Lun remained righteous and high-minded. "To be able to rescue my grandfather from Chang'an is enough. This matter concerns the lives of our clan. First, tell me the plan you gentlemen have devised."

When the three first gathered to conspire, they had originally intended to launch the coup while the Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi was on his eastern campaign and the Guanzhong region was empty.

The Grand Marshal Dong Zhong would use the conscripted levies that arrived later to deal with the various colonels of the Northern Army; the General of the Guard Wang She would lead the palace guard to strike; and finally, Liu Xin's son, Liu Die, who held the post of General of the Gentlemen of the Household of All Purposes, would be responsible for the palace halls. Together with one mind, they would seize the Emperor.

But even before Wang Mang had usurped the Han, six Gentlemen of the Palace Gates had plotted together to seize Wang Mang and set up a Liu-surnamed King of Chu as emperor. They were discovered and executed.

After that, Wang Mang became extremely cautious about the palace guard. The advantage of his fondness for checks and balances then became apparent.

"The inner palace guard was originally under the Director of the Retainers (Superintendent of the Imperial Household) and the various Generals of the Gentlemen of the Household. But His Majesty added the Regular Palace Attendants to enforce the law and divide their authority."

"The outer palace guard was originally under the Grand Commandant (Commandant of the Guards). His Majesty added the General of the Guard to divide his authority."

"Public order within Chang'an city was originally under the Martial Director (Bearer of the Gilded Mace) and the Governor of the Capital. Yet His Majesty added the General of the Five Majesties of the Central City to seize their authority."

"The eight colonels of the Northern Army outside Chang'an were originally divided between the Colonel of the Central Rampart and the Protector-Ambassador. Now a General of the Calmed Beginning, Shi Chen, has been added to command them."

Wang Mang wished he could create a two-headed, or even three-headed, division in every single post. No wonder that every time he dispatched troops on external campaigns, he had to appoint two generals of equal rank to irritate each other.

Thus, the armed remonstrators faced an awkward situation. Within the city, only one General of the Gentlemen of the Household of All Purposes and one General of the Guard could take part in the coup. And this was, after all, baring blades against the Emperor — the rank-and-file soldiers might not obey orders. Wang Mang still had many supporters; the outer and inner palaces might not be taken.

As for the Northern Army, the few of them had no hand in it at all. Dong Zhong was Grand Marshal in name, the highest military commander in the realm, but in reality he was an empty shell, merely overseeing conscription and logistics. To have him lead the tens of thousands of conscripts that Wang Yi had rejected against the well-equipped Northern Army — Dong Zhong did not believe he had the ability.

Thus, they needed someone "skilled in warfare" to enter the court and assist them. Hence Wang She's strenuous urging of Wang Mang to transfer Diwu Lun back.

Then you've got the wrong man!

The full cause and effect was now clear, but Diwu Lun did not know whether to laugh or cry. Of the Northern Army's eight colonels, the Rapid as Tigers and the Barbarian Cavalry had already gone east with the Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi, leaving six colonels, fewer than thirty thousand men. But they were still a stumbling block on the path of armed remonstrance. Did Dong Zhong and the others have a plan for dealing with them?

"When Lord Weixin's army is formed..." Dong Zhong put forward his plan: "We shall invite His Majesty to Xinfeng for an inspection. At that moment, we will suddenly launch a mutiny, seize the Son of Heaven, then send men to confiscate the tallies and credentials of the various Northern Army colonels. Meanwhile, the State Preceptor and the General of the Guard will control the city and the palace. Thus, the great deed can be accomplished!"

Diwu Lun suppressed the urge to curse. The ones in the palace are vermin, and you lot are vermin too! To come up with such an idea — though Wang Mang had indeed visited Hongmen several years ago when the Boar-Rush Braves struck the Xiongnu, the situation had changed. With his caution, he had only summoned Wang Yi's great army into the city to see them off. Why would he deliver himself to their doorstep?

"This plan is flawed." Diwu Lun shook his head. Dong Zhong then told him that the State Preceptor Liu Xin also believed the Emperor would never fall for it, and that they had no opportunity to seize him in the palace either...

So, they could only count on Diwu Lun to take on the Northern Army head-on.

Dong Zhong lavished praise on Diwu Lun: "The Northern Army has long since lost its former valor. Campaigning in the Western Regions, striking the Xiongnu, attacking Gouding — the Northern Army took part in many of these, but suffered defeat after defeat. Many veteran soldiers are wounded or dead. Most of them now are recruits from recent years. I imagine that with Lord Weixin commanding the troops, you will surely break them with ease."

Where in the world was anything so easy? A standing army trained for several years, no matter how decayed, with full armor and weapons, was still an elite force compared to the tens of thousands of beggars under his own command.

This coup was far too childish. Diwu Lun restrained the impulse to immediately submit a memorial denouncing the three of them. He needed to extract more value first.

He thus said solemnly, "For my single army to fight six camps — I fear we would be no match. I must ask the Grand Marshal to join me in submitting a memorial to His Majesty, attesting that the conscripts are undisciplined and hard to train, that the troops' morale is low, and that they can barely form an army. We need a unit of the Northern Army to join us — first, to boost morale; second, the terrain ahead is flat and open, and our army's advantage against the Greenwood men lies in cavalry."

Diwu Lun had already decided which unit he needed: "Preferably... the Yue Cavalry Camp!"

"Why the Yue Cavalry?"

Diwu Lun said, "The Colonel of the Yue Cavalry Camp, Cheng Zhong, previously accompanied me to Xindu to escort the imperial prince back north."

Because of the merit earned on that assignment, Cheng Zhong had been promoted and now commanded a camp as colonel.

Dong Zhong was overjoyed: "Is Lord Weixin confident he can persuade Cheng Zhong to join us?"

Of course he could. Diwu Lun smiled: "Once the Yue Cavalry merges with my army, they will number no more than three thousand. Surrounded and coerced by forty thousand men — even if words cannot persuade Cheng Zhong, blades can!"

But he could only ask for one unit. After all, even for the Grand Minister of Works' main force, Wang Mang had only been willing to give two camps. If he asked for too many, Wang Mang would grow suspicious.

If they could coerce the Yue Cavalry Camp, then as one side waned and the other waxed, only five camps would remain to deal with.

There was another favorable factor for them: the Northern Army camps were dispersed outside the city, each in a different location!

The Grand Marshal Dong Zhong finally proved somewhat useful. He knew the distribution of the various camps like the back of his hand: "His Majesty has expanded the Northern Army in recent years. The Central Rampart Camp is beside the Jianzhang Palace west of Chang'an — that is the Northern Army's main camp, with five thousand men."

"The Archers Who Shoot at a Sound Camp has six thousand men, split into three, stationed at the three Wei River bridges — west, center, and east — north of the city, to guard against the lands north of the Wei."

"The Infantry Camp is the most numerous, with seven thousand men, guarding Bashang east of the city."

"The Long River Camp is also barbarian cavalry, two thousand men, stationed at the Xuanqu Palace by Kunming Pool, southwest of Chang'an."

"The Garrison Cavalry numbers three thousand, stationed with the Yue Cavalry south of the city, at Xiadu."

The various Northern Army colonels were the armed perimeter of Chang'an. Since the early Han, they had been the central army. Their allegiance had decided the outcome of every coup, such as the Marquis' execution of the Lü clan and the Witchcraft Calamity.

That was why Wang Mang kept these five colonels firmly in the hands of his true confidants, under the overall command of the General of the Calmed Beginning, Shi Chen. It was said that this General Shi would soon become the Emperor's father-in-law — though his age was more than young enough to be Wang Mang's son...

Although there was hope of handling the Yue Cavalry Camp through the Grand Marshal Dong Zhong, and although they swore with conviction that once the coup was launched, Liu Xin and the General of the Guard Wang She would respond within the city and help Diwu Lun protect his grandfather...

But Diwu Lun had never counted on them from start to finish — when it came to getting things done, relying on his own people was the only sure way.

Dong Zhong saw Diwu Lun still stroking his chin in deliberation and assumed he was still hesitating, so he played his side's trump card, saying with an air of mystery, "Rest assured, Duke Weixin, this armed remonstrance aligns with Heaven's will and is certain to succeed!"

He then recounted what Liu Xin had revealed… that Wang Mang had dreamed of five golden men rising to their feet: "Does this 'five' not match the Duke of Weixin's surname?"

"And the General of the Guard's retainer, Ximen Junhui, has further presented a prophetic verse in which the State Preceptor's name appears, foretelling that the great undertaking will surely succeed. Allow me, Zhong, to recite it for the Duke of Weixin."

Diwu Lun was not particularly interested; he kept prophecies and apocryphal texts at a respectful distance. Even if the other side deliberately steered the interpretation in a direction favorable to him, he could make use of it, but he absolutely did not believe. "Oh? What prophetic verse is that?"

Dong Zhong's expression grew solemn. Using wine, he traced those lines onto the table: "Liu Xiu raises troops to strike down the unprincipled, the barbarians from all quarters gather like clouds, dragons battling in the wilds…"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The moment Diwu Lun saw the first two characters, his eyebrows shot up. Once he had read the entire prophetic verse, he burst out laughing outright, clutching his stomach, utterly unable to stop.

This left Dong Zhong baffled. "Why does the Duke of Weixin laugh so heartily?"

I laugh at the General of the Guard's lack of stratagem, and the Grand Marshal's want of wisdom.

I laugh that the State Preceptor, year after year, bitterly pressed gold-threaded seams, only to find, in the end, that he has labored in vain to make another's wedding gown!

Such is the way of the world — so farcical, so ironic, so capricious, yet as if everything were preordained.

Right now, apart from Diwu Lun, no one knew that in history, the one who would ultimately turn this prophetic verse from falsehood into reality…

…was not this Xiu, but that Xiu!

…

PS: Chapter 2 at 18:00.