Chapter 250: Vast Mansions

After settling into the fortified manor between Feng and Hao, Fang Wang told Gong Lin what he knew of Diwu Lun.

"In truth, I met Diwu Lun once several years ago."

It was back in the sixth year of Tianfeng, when Wang Mang dispatched the Boar-Rush Braves on their northern campaign against the Xiongnu. Curious, Fang Wang had gone to spy on their encampment nearby, where he encountered Diwu Lun, who was returning to camp still unsatisfied after acquiring a small saddle from Maoling.

"I saw that Diwu Lun's face was full of secret-merit lines rising, and I knew at once that this man would never be content beneath others."

"And now, having read his manifesto recently, his ambition is even more blatantly laid bare!"

Fang Wang, however, shook his head. "A pity, a great pity — Diwu Lun is just like Xiang Yu: full of ambition but utterly lacking in strategy."

Gong Lin was puzzled. "Diwu Lun excels at forbearance and has courted fame and cultivated prestige — in what way does he resemble Xiang Yu?"

Fang Wang had his own analysis. "Wang Mang has utterly lost the people's hearts. All under Heaven say that the house of Liu is ordained to receive the Mandate. To inherit Heaven's mandate and follow the people's will, merely destroying Wang Mang is not enough — one must rise in support of the Han."

"And the enfeoffed Duke of Anding, the child Liu Ying, is the appointed heir of Emperor Ping of Han. He never became Han sovereign because Wang Mang usurped the government. If someone could pay homage at the High Temple and enthrone him as Emperor, his legitimacy would be even more proper than that of the Gengshi Emperor of the Greenwood in the south! If Diwu Lun were willing to support Liu Ying, many provinces and commanderies that fear the Greenwood could be settled with a single proclamation!"

Fang Wang sneered. "But Diwu Lun would rather exhaust his private cunning and refuse to emulate the ancients. He is so proud of his own achievements that he wants to raise a separate banner. Yet he has received no mandate — he is neither Xin nor Han. How can he win the trust of the masses?"

That was why Fang Wang abandoned the idea of joining Diwu Lun, and he believed that this man's strength, though seemingly formidable, was in truth all bloated and hollow.

"When Diwu Lun was in Ji Province, his territory did not reach Handan in the north, nor Henei in the south; it was blocked by the Taihang Mountains in the west and looked out toward the Yellow River in the east — barely the land of one and a half commanderies. Had he refused when Wang Mang summoned him to court and directly rebelled against Wang Mang then, managing the soil of Ji, he would surely have become the master of an entire province someday!"

"But Diwu Lun could not bear to sacrifice the lives of his grandfather and his clan. He abandoned Wei and obediently came west. Although he gained Wang Mang's trust and now commands tens of thousands of troops, they are nothing but newly recruited soldiers. If the Xin had not truly lost the people's hearts, if the Northern Army had not collapsed, and if Wang Mang had not fled, how could Diwu Lun have entered Chang'an so easily and won such great renown?"

"Now Wang Mang has fled south — he is probably heading for Hanzhong in the south. The powerful families of Guanzhong appear to be responding to Diwu Lun, but in truth their intentions are unfathomable. Once Wang Mang is gone, their demands will diverge, and sooner or later they will fall out. To the east is the Army Commandant Tian Kuang, who bears an old grudge against Diwu Lun."

"Chang'an looks like a victory, but in truth it is a trap. Diwu Lun is already trapped there, cut off from Wei by a thousand li. In chaotic times, a great capital city that can neither circulate goods and trade nor grow crops, yet still requires soldiers to garrison it, is the most useless thing of all. If he indulges himself in the palaces of Chang'an, he will fall into an encirclement by surrounding powers. Once grain from the surrounding regions cannot be transported in, can Diwu Lun still feed several hundred thousand people? And if he simply abandons it and flees... then he is walking the exact same path as Xiang Yu!"

Fang Wang believed that Diwu Lun had made the wrong move at every step — undertaking great affairs yet clinging to the lives of his kin, lacking strategic vision, not worth supporting. His position was now as precarious as a stack of eggs, and it would be better to get Liu Ying out of the city.

Gong Lin was stunned by what he heard. "If that is the case, with Liu Ying and his seals, ribbons, and tallies in our hands, to whom should we hand them?"

He was only a minor strongman, capable of raising at most a thousand men south and north of the Wei River. He could hardly set himself up as an independent power.

Gong Lin proposed, "Wang Yuan, the Marquis of Qiongcheng from Changling, is now the leader of the powerful families north of the Wei and also a Han imperial in-law. What about handing him over to him?"

"No." Fang Wang said, "Those people are not even worth discussing — they cannot even contend with Diwu Lun. Better to give me a few dozen horsemen, and I will escort Liu Ying west, to Longyou!"

"The State Preceptor, Duke Liu Xin, fled west. This man was a chief architect of Wang Mang's usurpation of Han, yet now he has suddenly turned his spear around. He probably regrets it, feeling he has wronged his ancestors, and wishes to restore a Han Emperor."

"Wei Ao is an acquaintance of mine. He has always had talent and ability; when he went west to Longxi to recruit troops, he even appointed me as his Registrar. His uncle Wei Cui is a great gallant of Longyou. Upon learning of the upheaval in Chang'an, the Wei clan will surely rebel — perhaps they already have! But what Longyou still lacks is a banner!"

Fang Wang looked at Liu Ying, who was squatting dully in the courtyard, staring curiously at the chickens and ducks, and smiled. "If we can obtain this man and raise him as our banner, the dozen or so commanderies west of Long Pass can be settled with a single proclamation!"

On that same late night of the thirtieth day of the fifth month, Wang Mang had fled far, far farther than Fang Wang and his group.

Wang Mang should have been grateful for the chaos before their departure, which conveniently allowed him to shake off the slower baggage train and hangers-on. He took only his most trusted few hundred men, traveling light by chariot and cavalry. Otherwise, even if Cheng Zhong of the Yueqi Encampment had deliberately let them go, they would have long since been overtaken.

They also did not dare take the main road north of the Wei, instead using a small path south of the Wei that skirted the Shanglin Park. After galloping for a full day and night, Wang Mang's party arrived at the Fuyang Palace, nearly two hundred li southwest of Chang'an.

This was an old palace from the Qin and Han dynasties. Its most famous incident was when the First Emperor of Qin imprisoned his mother Zhao Ji here. It had escaped Xiang Yu's great fire, and the Han dynasty continued to use it as a traveling palace.

The road of flight was harsh — not only were they exhausted from the desperate rush, they also had to endure hunger.

What was even more troublesome was that a drizzling rain began to fall from the sky at that moment, drenching the old Emperor and the entire company of dukes, ministers, and princes like bedraggled chickens.

Though they feared the pursuing troops behind them, the men were simply too exhausted to go on, and traveling in the rain was impossible. Hearing that there was a "traveling palace" ahead, Wang Mang was overjoyed and had someone notify it to arrange food and lodging.

But when Wang Mang arrived, he discovered that Fuyang Palace was nothing but ruins.

Most of the palace buildings had been torn down, the beams and pillars carted away, leaving only rubble covering the ground and weeds poking out from between the stones. The black stone carvings from the Qin era had also been smashed to pieces.

"Why was this place abandoned?" Wang Mang asked his confidants in bewilderment. Only then did Zhang Han tell him: "During the Shijianguo years, Your Majesty detested the government of Qin and ordered Grand Mentor Tang to destroy the old relics of the Qin era. The Twelve Metal Colossi were toppled and trampled, and the Qin-era traveling palaces and illicit shrines in the Yong region were abandoned and smashed."

"Later, when Your Majesty built the Nine Temples, in order to save on beams and pillars, this place was stripped clean as well."

So it was a calamity brought on by Wang Mang's own destruction of the Four Olds of the Qin era. How could he have imagined then that the very first place he would lodge on his flight would be a Qin palace he himself had despised!

But there was no help for it. The surrounding area was all wild forest, and the hamlets were not safe either. The men could only huddle within the surviving walls of the ruins, or sleep directly in their chariots, and somehow endure this one night.

Wang Mang's hair, dyed black for his grand wedding, was washed by the rain and revealed its true color — a miserable, tragic white. Confucius had once fled in panic like a homeless stray dog, and Wang Mang, who had always taken Confucius as his model, finally understood that feeling. Now he did not even have the heart to strum his zither and sing.

Since the baggage carts had all been scattered, these few hundred men could only chew their meager dry rations with rainwater. After forcing down a little, they pillowed against one another to sleep, temporarily forgetting distinctions of rank and status, noble and base. Wang Mang's sons and daughters by concubines had never endured such hardship; for a time, the sound of weeping rose in unison, utterly pitiable, as they yearned only for the broad eaves and vast mansions of the palace and their relatives' quarters.

There was one exception: Wang Xing, the Duke of Gongxiu, who had nearly been killed by Wang Mang over the Chen Chong affair. His eyes frequently darted toward the Imperial Heirloom Seal, which hung at his imperial father's waist!

But Ju Wuba remained by Wang Mang's side at all times, holding up the chariot canopy to shield the old Emperor from wind and rain, giving no one any opportunity.

"Emperor Wu of Han had Shangguan Jie, but I have Ju Wuba."

Greatly comforted, Wang Mang looked up at the giant holding the umbrella and said, "General Ju, I enfeoff you as a High Duke... let it be called... the Duke Who Upholds the Xin!"

Ju Wuba smiled. This was already the third dukedom Wang Mang had promised along the way — Cui Fa and Zhang Han, who were traveling with them, had each received one too. He did not care much about it; the people of Donglai were honest and straightforward. He was merely repaying the Emperor's generous treatment.

But those as loyal and earnest as Ju Wuba were, after all, a minority. The days of flight were so bitter that on the very first day, many had already slipped away. Along the road, at least over a hundred men regretted coming and stole away. There were even some who wished to borrow Wang Mang's head for their own purposes, but fortunately, Ju Wuba and the others cut them down.

After enduring half the night in cold and hunger, the rain finally let up a little. Cui Fa, who had gone to the nearby Zhouzhi County to gather intelligence, also returned, his expression panicked. He prostrated himself before Wang Mang and said:

"Your Majesty, Xinguang is probably out of reach!"

"Why?" Wang Mang urgently asked Cui Fa.

"The powerful families of Zhouzhi County have rebelled, cutting off all communication to the west."

"And I have further learned that Lü Wei, the great gallant of Chencang whom Your Majesty previously appointed as a subordinate Prefect of Fufu Commandery, has also answered Diwu Lun's call and is now leading troops to besiege Xinguang County!"

In just a few days, the entire Guanzhong had completely revolted? No wonder the loyalist troops from Fufu Commandery had never arrived, and Xinguang County, which had always enjoyed tax-exempt status and should have been the most loyal to Wang Mang, could not be entered. What was to be done now?

"The Baoxie Road is out of the question."

Unlike Tang Zun and Zhang Han, who could only spout empty talk, Cui Fa had some ability. He said, "There is more than one road to Hanzhong. South of here, there is a small path that crosses the mountains, called the Tangluo Road. It is the steepest and most treacherous, but also the fastest."

They dared not take the Ziwu Road to the east, and the Baoxie Road to the west was inaccessible. Then this was the only road left to take. Wang Mang nodded, but before they could urgently rouse the entourage to continue the journey, the scouts placed at the rear raised a great cry.

"Rebel troops! The rebel troops are upon us!"

This alarm — no one knew if it was true or false — sent the dukes, ministers, and imperial relatives sprawled across the ground instantly scrambling to their feet. Wailing for their fathers and mothers, they dashed toward the chariots.

In the crush, Wang Mang could not even get into his chariot. Fortunately, Ju Wuba acted decisively, throwing aside the canopy outright, hoisting Wang Mang onto his back, and charging forward. Cui Fa followed close behind, clutching the bronze "Awe-Dou" that Wang Mang could not bear to abandon. The old Grand Mentor Tang Zun, however, fell behind and was even trampled; it looked as though he would not be getting up again.

Wang Xing, the Duke of Gongxiu, looked left and right. Having no other choice, he could only stamp his foot and follow closely after Wang Mang, heading for the mountain forests!

As Wang Mang lay on Ju Wuba's back, chased through the mountain forests in utter chaos by the Yueqi Encampment troops Diwu Lun had sent, an old man who had once shared a banquet with him was also braving the fine, drifting rain, arriving at Jianzhang Palace in the night.

Jianzhang Palace lay just west of Shoucheng Chamber, already beyond the main walls of Chang'an. Built in the time of Emperor Wu of Han, as a masterwork of the Han dynasty's zenith, Jianzhang Palace was grander than Shoucheng Chamber, which was confined within Chang'an. The towering "Twin Phoenix Towers" alone stood a full twenty zhang high — the tallest man-made structure of this age.

Atop the towers, a pair of bronze phoenixes stood facing the wind. This was the finest vantage point to overlook the palaces of Chang'an.

"No need to support me. This old man can walk on his own."

He said that, but Diwu Ba's age had caught up with him after all. He had to shed his heavy armor before he could climb up here, and he could no longer take two steps at a stride as in his youth — but at least he did not yet need to rest at every step.

When he reached the top, Diwu Lun was already waiting for him. Without asking about the situation with the Arrayed Colonels, he simply drew Diwu Ba to the edge of the Twin Phoenix Towers and said to him with a smile, "Come, take in the view from here."

This was indeed a sight Diwu Ba, in over seventy years of life, had never seen. He had passed by Jianzhang Palace before, but always standing below, looking up at the twin phoenixes poised for flight atop the towers. Never had he imagined that one day he would actually stand up here!

"Grandfather, you once wished to raise a pillar of merit for the Diwu clan. Well then — is this pillar high enough today?"

"High enough. Far higher than this old man ever imagined." Diwu Ba spoke the truth. The events of these past few days were things he would never have dared dream of in seventy years. He was beginning to understand what Diwu Lun had meant by "the highest pillar of merit in the world." The old man's hands trembled with emotion. And he could tell — Diwu Lun had drunk a little tonight and was in unusually high spirits.

"Grandfather, some days ago you complained that the courtyard of the Northern Watchtower mansion was too small, and the sky above it too narrow."

Diwu Lun pointed toward Shoucheng Chamber, lit only in a few corners by the torches of the soldiers guarding the palace in the night, and asked Diwu Ba with a smile, "This courtyard — is it large enough?"

"Large enough, large enough." Of course it was large. Jianzhang, Shoucheng, and the rest were vast as walled cities — a thousand doors, ten thousand chambers. One room a day, and you would not finish in years! Diwu Ba echoed the words, but his brow furrowed. He thought Diwu Lun was getting carried away and wanted to caution his grandson. But Diwu Lun had already shifted his tone and said gravely:

"But stand too high, and it is easy to fall — especially when your footing is not yet firm. That I could stand here is not by my strength alone, but by borrowing the momentum of the times. Once that momentum fades, holding steady on my own will be no easy thing."

"What is more, countless eyes are fixed on Chang'an, and countless hands are reaching to pull me down!"

Diwu Lun remained utterly clear-headed. He lifted his gaze and said, "And though these palaces are indeed vast, Wang Mang stayed inside them too long, until he became a caged bird, accustomed to peering at a leopard through a tube, blind to the full shape of the world."

He let out a long sigh. "If one is to never forget how vast the sky is, how broad the earth, one must still plant both feet firmly in the soil!"

…

PS: Tomorrow's update will be at 13:00.