Chapter 236: Axe and Battle-Axe!

"General of the Guard, our plot has been long in the making — if we delay, it may leak. Now that His Majesty has suddenly summoned you, we should simply kill the envoy, rally the troops and march in, seize the Emperor, and the great enterprise will be within reach!"

When word came that Wang Mang had ordered Wang She summoned into the forbidden palace, one of Wang She's subordinate Army Protectors who was party to the plot immediately made this proposal.

"No."

Wang She, however, shook his head and said: "Of the four gates of the palace, I control only one. Outside there is Cui Fa, General of the Central City of the Five Majesties; inside are the Gentlemen of the Guard — none of these are under our control. If we fight as an isolated force, we will surely be attacked from front and rear. We must wait for the State Preceptor and the Duke of Weixin to make their move, so we can coordinate from within and without."

Besides, they had agreed to rise on the twenty-eighth, and he, Wang She, was a man of his word — so it had to be the twenty-eighth!

After all, Diwu Lun had decided to move early, and he had not even notified him!

Wang She's superstitiousness was in no way inferior to that of Wang Mang or Liu Xin. The State Preceptor had said that success was only possible on the number of four-sevens, when Venus appeared in the heavens — how could that be false? In the past couple of days, the State Preceptor had used the pretext of leaving the city to select a tomb site on Mount Zhongnan, but in truth he was arranging a star formation at the foot of Venus Peak, praying for the blessing of the August Heaven Sovereign on High, so that the coup would succeed.

What was more, was the present situation not turning in their favor? Thanks to Diwu Lun's stroke of genius, the Emperor had believed the impeachment, arrested Chen Chong, intended to summon Tian Kuang, Grand Governor of the Army Commandant, and dispatched the Grand Marshal to deliver the axe and battle-axe to the Duke of Weixin, granting him full authority over punitive expeditions.

Add to that the temporary reshuffling of the command posts of the six Northern Army colonels, and it was bound to throw everyone into panic. If they waited just a few more days, Longyou might well respond too, and the most favorable conditions for them would then emerge.

As for the Emperor summoning him now, that was a routine matter. Liu Die, General of the Gentlemen of the Household for All Purposes, had come in person to deliver the message; the State Preceptor's son was naturally one of their own, and he said the Emperor intended to entrust the Northern Army post to him!

Wang She suspected nothing. He left the Northern Watchtower's Xuanwu Gate, which he guarded, and walked toward the forbidden palace.

Who could have guessed that as soon as Wang She reached the Golden Horse Gate and dismounted from his carriage according to protocol, the moment he stepped forward, he discovered that he had entered an enormous human shadow — his entire body was engulfed by it.

When Wang She raised his head, he saw that Ju Wuba, whom Wang Mang had appointed General of the Gentlemen of the Household of the Right a few days earlier, was waiting right there, leaning against the wall for him.

This giant, over ten feet tall, wore armor far larger than that of ordinary men and held a great halberd. His powerful arms looked as though they could crush a man's head with a squeeze. He merely lowered his head and stared coldly at him, making one's hair stand on end.

Cries of alarm and shrieks came from behind. Turning back, Wang She saw that the several Army Protectors and soldiers who had followed him inside had all been struck down by the drawn swords of the Gentlemen of the Guard at the four gates of the Royal Road.

Before Wang She could even react, Ju Wuba reversed his great halberd and swept its shaft across, knocking Wang She to the ground. He then had him bound, promptly tucked the trussed-up Wang She under his arm, and strode with meteoric steps toward the Royal Road Hall, where he hurled him heavily down below the steps!

"Your Majesty, Wang She is brought before you!"

When Wang She raised his head, what he saw were the furious eyes of his cousin Wang Mang.

"My younger cousin — have you, too, rebelled?"

……

Wang Mang still remembered, over thirty years ago, when he knelt by the sickbed of his uncle, the Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry, the Marquis of Quyang, Wang Gen, receiving his charge to become the head of the Wang clan. Wang She was no longer young then either, and knelt to one side.

When his father demanded that he pledge loyalty to Wang Mang, Wang She swore a solemn oath, and Wang Mang also promised his uncle that he would nurture Wang She as his own blood brother, never forgetting that family's kindness.

He had regarded him as the most trustworthy among the Wang clansmen, treated Wang She generously, enfeoffed him as a Senior Duke, and granted him heavy authority. Who could have expected that at this moment of crisis for the Xin, Wang She, who should have given his utmost to support the main lineage, had instead plotted treason — this was a betrayal from the blood!

At this moment, facing Wang Mang, Wang She was for a time dumbstruck, both afraid and ashamed, and hung his head without uttering a word.

Others might have cause to curse Wang Mang, but he could find no reason at all.

The Emperor would never forgive him either. He merely had Wang She taken away under guard, and then had Chen Chong, the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, released, ordering him to bring out his methods and properly deal with Wang She. Whether an arm was broken or a leg was severed, the rebellious plot, its causes and consequences, must all be extracted through interrogation. And as for Wang She's fellow conspirators…

The Emperor's mind was now exceptionally clear: "Issue a written pardon for the officers and soldiers subordinate to the General of the Guard who were led astray by him. For those whose conspiracy had not yet been discovered, let the General of the Central City of the Five Majesties and Ju Wuba take over the palace defenses."

Though Wang Mang had suffered betrayal, he still retained some trusted confidants. Some regarded him as a tyrant, but others remained obstinately deluded, believing him to be a sage Son of Heaven. After all, apart from his harsh treatment of his own children and grandchildren, Wang Mang was extremely amiable toward his trusted followers. From his youth, he had excelled at winning fame and reputation, and could humble himself before others. Quite a few people fell for this — Ju Wuba, for example.

With their leader gone, the subordinates of the General of the Guard, who controlled only one corner of the palace, could not stir up any great waves. They were swiftly mopped up by Cui Fa and Ju Wuba, and the Northern Watchtower returned to Wang Mang's hands.

Now that the palace was secure, the next step was to swiftly arrest the remaining rebels.

Two days earlier, Liu Xin had requested to leave the city for a trip to Mount Zhongnan to pray to the mountains and rivers and, incidentally, to inspect his own tomb. Wang Mang, out of pity for his old friend, had granted the request.

Now he understood: what Liu Xin had gone to pray for was probably not the eternal endurance of the Xin, but for him, Wang Mang, to die soon, and for the Han to be swiftly restored!

Unlike the earlier betrayals, this stab in the back from an old friend pained Wang Mang more than the deaths of several of his sons and grandsons combined — ten times, a hundred times more agonizing!

He had thought that the friendship they had forged over these decades, the cause they had planned together, could transcend a single dynasty or a single surname, transcend the life and death of mere children. He had never, ever imagined that Liu Zijun would, at the final juncture, turn traitor!

Wang Mang could almost still see, as if it were before his eyes, their first meeting decades ago in the office of the Gentlemen of the Yellow Gate — that young man sitting upright in the sunlight, solemnly reading the books of the sages.

Though Liu Xin's family was of the Han imperial lineage, they had suffered greatly from the dark politics of the Yuandi and Chengdi reigns — mainly obstruction from the Wang consort clan — and his father, Liu Xiang, had languished in frustration, his ambitions unfulfilled.

Wang Mang, though he came from the Wang clan, was an anomaly within it: he cherished Confucianism and the Dao, conducted himself with lofty integrity, and harbored grand ambitions.

The two hit it off instantly. They were not only bosom friends but also political allies at court. In replacing the Han with the Xin, Liu Xin's contributions were paramount.

But from what point had they begun to diverge and go their separate ways? Was it when his daughter and her husband, the deposed Crown Prince Wang Lin, died together? When his two sons were implicated in rebellion and torn apart? Or even earlier — when he discovered that Wang Mang's ambitions did not stop at being the "Duke of Zhou of the Great Han"?

"I still persist. No matter how the whole world opposes me, I still hold fast to the Wang-Tian system, refusing to abolish it. Why have you, instead, turned back?"

Wang Mang felt baffled, yet he still did not begin to reflect.

And what enraged him even more was that Diwu Lun, too, had taken part. A youth of twenty-three, who admittedly had some ability, but had been exceptionally promoted to Senior Duke and Grand General — even in the Former Han, such instances were exceedingly rare.

"Originally, today was to be Diwu Lun's final audience. I had intended to tell him that the basis for dividing the lands of the Liu surname and the powerful families among the people of the realm — I have found it."

It came from the Book of Changes: "Diminish what is above and increase what is below — the people's joy shall be boundless!"

Wang Mang had still wished to make good use of Diwu Lun, to test his new conception, to make the realm shine with fresh brilliance — but now there was no longer any chance to explain.

Yet Wang Mang still harbored a sliver of illusion. Perhaps Diwu Lun had merely been deluded and coerced by the likes of Liu Xin, Dong Zhong, and Wang She. After all, he was still young, not quite able to distinguish right from wrong, and coupled with his hatred for Chen Chong, he had strayed onto the wrong path…

And so, after securing the Northern Watchtower, Wang Mang issued two orders.

First: dispatch the eunuch Wang Ye, a Palace Attendant of the Yellow Gate whom he trusted considerably, to lead troops swiftly in pursuit of the Grand Marshal Dong Zhong, and to recover the axe and battle-axe at all costs. If pursuit failed, he was to feign that nothing was amiss and deliver an edict from Wang Mang to Diwu Lun, saying that he was to be appointed one of the Four Supports and Three Dukes, and that Diwu Lun must enter the capital for an audience.

Second: send men to "invite" Diwu Ba, who lived just one street away from the imperial palace, into the palace.

"Given Diwu Lun's profound filial piety, loyalty, and earnestness, when he sees my edict and hears that his grandfather is in the palace, he will surely return. Then we can properly interrogate him and determine whether he was merely deceived or harbored treacherous thoughts!"

……

From yesterday evening to this morning, with Chen Chong's arrest, the Office of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties had ground to a brief halt. Many of Chen Chong's partisans were thrown into the imperial prison, and some were even beaten to death under torture…

And now, the suddenly enlightened Wang Mang had hurriedly released them, turning these court hawks and hounds, who had suffered a night of torment and were covered in wounds, around to arrest the true rebels instead.

But during that entire night, the areas of the city that had been under strict surveillance were left unmanaged, and who knew how many big fish and small fry had slipped away.

A short while later, when the partisans of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, bent on revenge, burst into the grand residence at the Northern Watchtower, they discovered that even by the afternoon, the entire household was still sound asleep, and the smell of wine was everywhere.

It turned out that Diwu Ba, answering the Emperor's call, had held a five-day public feast, and the day before had invited the entire household's servants to drink.

All they remembered was that as Diwu Ba drank, he could not restrain his tears, which streamed down his face. When pressed as to why he wept, the old master said nothing, only gazing toward the imperial palace, his expression carrying a hint of guilt.

Then Diwu Ba led them in toasting toward the palace halls, shouting: "Ten thousand years to Your Majesty!"

After that, Diwu Ba had gone back to sleep. It was just then that Chen Chong and his partisans were being arrested. The curfew in Chang'an had not yet fallen, and the twelve city gates still stood open.

Having received permission, everyone drank freely, continuing until dawn. Everyone, including the guards at the gate, was dead drunk. During this time, Chen Chong was still in the imperial prison, gouging at his severed foot and writing a letter in blood…

When the claws and fangs of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties hauled up a few men and asked where Diwu Ba was, they were all utterly baffled, merely pointing at one spot and saying:

"Perhaps in the hall!"

The hall drew near. The claws and fangs of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties spread out, hands gripping ring-pommel sabers, toes cautiously creeping closer — but they saw the windows were tightly shut. Yet through the door panels, they caught faint rustling and shuffling sounds; someone was indeed inside!

But when they violently kicked the main door open, they found the place completely empty.

There was only a savage beast: a black fighting dog wearing a golden collar, crouched on the mat where Diwu Ba usually loved to sit, gnawing a meat bone. Suddenly disturbed, the black dog bared its fangs and snarled, barking furiously at these uninvited guests.

"Woof woof woof!"

……

Early that morning, after receiving the axe and battle-axe from the Emperor, Grand Marshal Dong Zhong leisurely rode out of the city and headed east.

Chang'an was quite far from Hongmen at the foot of Mount Li — separated by an entire Baling County, a good seventy or eighty li. Though Dong Zhong was not so careless as to spend a night on the road, his love of ease and dislike of toil kept him from making any speed.

Only when the sun was slanting west did he reach Ba Bridge, the indispensable route from Chang'an to the east, spanning the Ba River, straddling the strategic pass of Qin lands, binding the carriage tracks of the eastern thoroughfare.

But two years ago, a fire had broken out here. The several thousand men of the infantry battalion stationed nearby drew water but could not save it; the entire bridge surface burned away to nothing. Wang Mang ordered it rebuilt, added stone piers, and renamed it "Everlasting Bridge," signifying the Xin's eternal endurance.

"Once I cross this bridge, reach Hongmen, and hand the axe and battle-axe to the Duke of Weixin, after the action on the twenty-eighth — the Xin, I fear, will be utterly gone."

So thought Dong Zhong, though he did not forget to observe the infantry battalion, one of the Northern Armies.

As the name implies, the infantry battalion was mainly foot soldiers. One part was stationed at Zhi Road Village west of the bridge — this was the very place where Liu Bang had accepted the surrender of Qin Prince Ziying. The other part was at Baling County east of the bridge, but word was that its military discipline was rather poor; some had even dug up the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han…

The "Nine Tigers" dispatched by Wang Mang had arrived even faster than Dong Zhong and had already dismissed and replaced the Infantry Colonel. This sudden order stirred some unrest in the infantry battalion.

"Let them be in chaos." Dong Zhong gloated, and could not help marveling at Diwu Lun's ingenious scheme. This way, the infantry battalion's fighting strength would be greatly reduced; with them split between east and west, an attack with tens of thousands of troops would easily break them.

Presumably the other six regiments were the same?

The carriage was about to ascend Ba Bridge. By custom, all vehicles and horses had to undergo inspection, but Dong Zhong, holding the authority of tally, banner, and pennant, was exempt. He was about to show his identity and pass through when he suddenly heard someone ahead calling out to him.

"Grand Marshal?"

Dong Zhong reflexively raised his head and was instantly stunned. The one calling out was none other than the Palace Attendant of the Inner Yellow Gate, Wang Ye, who had been racing after him by Wang Mang's order and had only reached Ba Bridge moments before. Beside him, several riders and the hundreds of infantry battalion soldiers guarding the bridgehead had their crossbows raised, already aimed at Dong Zhong and his personal retinue.

"Grand Marshal, how very slow you are!"

……

The affairs of the world are so strange: some can slip away right under the Emperor's nose, while others, in a situation of certain escape, are delayed by their own foolishness.

Of course, it was also possible that Diwu Lun, having decided to act early, had long since closed the net and never communicated his plan to his pig-like teammates. Right after using Wang She to muddy the waters, he immediately had Di Si Xian and Zhang Yu, using the coal-ball carts that threaded through the lanes and alleys, spirit his grandfather away.

In the end, Diwu Lun did not wait for Dong Zhong's axe and battle-axe; instead, he waited for the smiling Palace Attendant of the Inner Yellow Gate, Wang Ye.

Wang Ye was Wang Mang's trusted confidant, dressed in brocade robes, his cap adorned with sable, jade pendants at his waist — they clinked and jingled when he walked quickly.

He was not only a Palace Attendant of the Inner Yellow Gate but had also been given the additional office of "Palace Regular Attendant" and other posts. Whenever it fell to Wang Ye to proclaim an edict, it always signaled a matter of great importance.

It was said that this man had also been put in charge of relief for the disaster victims — and the result was relief that boiled down to cooking guanyin earth, so that the refugees could not even get a mouthful of thin gruel and starved to death in droves.

Diwu Lun had his men open the camp gate and admit Wang Ye. After exchanging courtesies according to protocol, he invited him into the camp to sit. Wang Ye first spoke of the turmoil within the city.

"Who could have imagined that Chen Chong, the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, would collude with Tian Kuang, the Grand Governor of Shivei, intending rebellion! His Majesty is utterly shocked and has already ordered the Guard General to arrest Chen Chong, and summoned Tian Kuang to court. Your Excellency's troops, holding the line between the capital and Shivei, will inevitably be entrusted with heavy responsibility, keeping watch on Wei Bei."

"That is only natural."

Diwu Lun's gaze rested on the sweat ceaselessly streaming down the side of Wang Ye's face. He smiled and said, "In this sweltering heat, Palace Attendant, rushing all the way here must have nearly roasted you."

"With the royal command upon me, how dare I delay?" Wang Ye then read Wang Mang's edict to Diwu Lun. After finishing, he said, "The petty villains have already been brought to justice. I hope the Duke of Weixin will return to court with me. Beyond His Majesty's intention to appoint Your Excellency as one of the Four Supports and Three Dukes, he has also ordered the Grand Astrologer to divine with the sacred tortoise and choose an auspicious day — that day is tomorrow. Your Excellency has also completed the three days of purification."

"As His Majesty said, the fate of the altars of state rests with Your Excellency. Now that the realm faces peril, he wishes to invite you, General, to answer the call! Tomorrow, His Majesty will bestow the axe and battle-axe at the Nine Temples south of the city, granting Your Excellency the authority to campaign and punish at will!"

The axe and the battle-axe — these had been symbols of military authority since ancient times. When going on campaign, the Emperor would summon all the generals to the ancestral temple, where they would receive the drum and banner; then the Emperor would bestow the drum, banner, axe, and battle-axe upon the general at the High Temple.

Diwu Lun said, "I am young and unfamiliar with the rites. I must ask the Palace Attendant to explain them to me, so that I may prepare."

"In the ceremony, His Majesty will personally hold the battle-axe by the head and hand the shaft to me, saying: 'From this point up to Heaven, the General shall command it.'"

"Then His Majesty will again hold the axe by the shaft and hand the blade to the general, saying: 'From this point down to the abyss, the General shall command it.'"

Wang Ye nodded: "Exactly so!"

Sovereign and subject each had one moment of holding the shaft and pointing the blade at the other. Without genuine trust, this bestowal of axe and battle-axe was truly a heart-pounding, nerve-wracking affair. After all, one could never be sure whether the Emperor or the general might suddenly be seized by murderous impulse, pick up the lethal weapon on the spot, and, with the heart of a wild beast, hack the other down!

At that moment, someone entered from outside — it was Wan Xiu. He glanced at Wang Ye, then whispered a few words in Diwu Lun's ear. Diwu Lun smiled, nodded in understanding, and then turned back to Wang Ye with a bow, saying, "Palace Attendant, I have a rough knowledge of military arts and have heard a saying."

"As a general, when facing the enemy in decisive battle, he does not care for certain death and harbors no second thoughts. Therefore, there is no Heaven above, no Earth below, no enemy before him…"

Diwu Lun bit down with heavy emphasis on the final line: "And no sovereign behind him!"

"To accept the command without refusal, and only speak of returning after the enemy is destroyed — that is the rite of the general. With the authority of drum, banner, axe, and battle-axe, from that point on, there is no need to request further instructions."

Diwu Lun spread his hands and smiled. "So, I do not understand — why should I go to the trouble of returning to court?"

Wang Ye, not knowing what Diwu Lun was planning, grew increasingly uneasy, his voice trembling slightly. He could only say, "That is indeed true, but the axe and battle-axe have not yet been bestowed…"

"Is that so?"

Diwu Lun said with feigned surprise, "How is it that I remember the axe and battle-axe have already been bestowed!"

That was impossible. The dawdling Grand Marshal Dong Zhong had already been shot off his carriage at Ba Bridge and arrested; the axe, battle-axe, drum, banner, and other items had been collected by the Gentlemen of the Guard and sent back to Chang'an.

It was because of this that Wang Ye had rushed to Hongmen, intending, by the Emperor's command, to trick Diwu Lun into coming to court. As long as he accompanied Wang Ye to Baling, he could be seized by the infantry battalion.

But Diwu Lun was no Wang She or Dong Zhong — how could he waver when decisiveness was needed and bring disaster upon himself? He had long grown accustomed to plans being broken. Since that was the case…

Then to hell with the plan! Who cares about four-seven-twenty-eight!

"Palace Attendant, please look — what are these?"

Now that he knew his grandfather was out of danger, Diwu Lun no longer jested with the old eunuch. He stood up and revealed two objects that had been placed beneath the low table.

On the right was an old, worn woodcutter's axe, its handle wrapped with cloth strips, the dark, sooty axe-head ending in a gleaming blade. Some days earlier, while inspecting the camp and sharing meals with the soldiers, Diwu Lun had shown off a little skill, using this very axe to split firewood.

And on the left was a battle-axe honed razor-sharp… No, Wang Ye had not mis-seen — that was no battle-axe at all; it was clearly a sickle, brought by Diwu Lun from his old home in Changling. It had cut wheat and millet, and in times of crisis, would also be raised by farmers in revolt.

Under Wang Ye's stunned and terrified gaze, Diwu Lun picked up both objects and walked step by step to where Wang Ye was pinned down by guards. One axe, one sickle — he laid them directly against Wang Ye's neck, drawing blood!

"Eunuch!"

Diwu Lun dropped all pretense and laughed heartily. "Wipe your eyes clean and look closely."

"These — are my axe! And battle-axe!"

"Not bestowed by a tyrant, not granted by a single man."

"But conferred by the will of Heaven, conferred by the hearts of the people!"

…

PS: Bonus chapter tomorrow.