Chapter 282: Skin and Bones

Diba Jiao understood perfectly well. Did Diwu Biao—that boorish lout who could make even ceremonial robes look like a sword-fighter's garb—truly care about institutions? What he really cared about was where the King of Wei, Diwu Lun, would place him within that institutional framework!

Unlike Diwu Biao, Diba Jiao had been deeply involved in the work of building the new order. Summoned with him to Yueyang Palace were men like Jing Dan, Ren Guang, and Wang Long.

Just as with fixing the royal title, the question of which bureaucratic system this brand-new "State of Wei" should adopt likewise revealed starkly different views and political stances among the men.

Wang Long proposed using the Han system, arguing that only thus could they make a clean break with the Xin Dynasty. Jing Dan thought it better to keep using the Xin system, or else they would lack the means to distinguish themselves from the various Han claimants. Diba Jiao, for his part, held that since Wei's mandate was a new beginning, they might as well create an entirely new "Wei system."

It was Ren Guang, that "honest fellow," who, after listening in silence for a good while, finally spoke: "Your Majesty is founding a state amid chaos and hardship. In your servant's view, the system ought not to be overly complex."

Diwu Lun nodded. "Well said. Wang Mang's institutional reforms were exhaustive in every detail—he designed the Four Supports, Three Dukes, Four Generals, and Six Overseers according to the Zhou Guan Shu, and even changed every title to match the archaic script's meaning. Yet in barely fifteen years, it all crumbled into dust. We are still in the phase of winning the realm from horseback; the system's merit lies not in complexity or elegance, but in simplicity and ease of execution."

Stroking the beard now growing on his upper lip, he smiled and said, "We are dwelling here in a Qin palace. In my view, the Qin bureaucratic system was really quite excellent!"

"The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, with clearly divided responsibilities, utterly free of redundancy and overlap. Emperor Gao of Han condemned the tyrannical Qin yet adopted its system—proof enough of its excellence. It was rather from Emperor Yuan of Han onward, with every emperor seeking to root out all surviving remnants of the old Qin system and overhauling the institutions layer upon layer, that the clerks grew bewildered and the common people utterly confused."

At these words, the men looked at one another, and in that moment they understood Diwu Lun's meaning.

"In the name of my state, I may dispense with the skin of Qin—but that in no way prevents me from using the bones of Qin, the bones best suited to wartime, to go forth and conquer the realm!"

…

When painting a tiger, one paints the skin; the bones are hard to paint. The world often recognizes only the skin and fails to see the bones. Take the Han Dynasty, for example: it felt its way across the river by touching the stones of Qin, and got its hands on every last bit of Qin's marrow. Then it looked down and saw—good heavens, even the bones were black. That would never do! So it hastily covered them with a layer of Confucian skin for decoration!

Even though the central court drastically changed official titles after Emperor Wu, the remnants of the Qin system stubbornly survived in the nooks and crannies of the princely kingdoms' institutions. For instance, while the imperial court had the "Superintendent of the Imperial Household," the Han feudal kingdoms called the same post "Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace," and even retained the "Internal Clerk," a Qin office.

Thus, when Diwu Lun sought to use the Qin system to lay the institutional foundation of his new state, to those ignorant of history and unaware of the deeper logic, it merely looked like the same old apparatus used by the Han feudal kingdoms.

On the plaza of the crude and simple Yueyang Palace, after an enthronement ceremony so bare-bones compared to a Han emperor's accession that it made one's hair stand on end, Diwu Lun immediately promulgated the appointments of his men.

"The State of Wei shall have Three Dukes: the State Commandant, the Chancellor of State, and the Imperial Counselor."

The State Commandant was nominally the kingdom's highest military officer. This post naturally went to Ma Yuan, who concurrently served as Governor of Henei.

The Chancellor of State was divided into Left and Right, with the Right Chancellor holding precedence. Diwu Lun, however, left the Right Chancellorship vacant and announced only that Geng Chun, far away in Wei territory, would be Left Chancellor, concurrently serving as Governor of Wei Commandery.

Though Ma and Geng had not followed him here, they were the most vital partners in Diwu Lun's founding enterprise. Without them, he might not even have managed to hold the board that was Wei Commandery together. Among those who had accompanied Diwu Lun west, the military officers had nearly all been trained single-handedly by Ma Yuan, while the civil officials had all served under Geng Chun. There were no objections.

Yet they were, after all, far away. The actual work of State Commandant and Chancellor—one military, one civil—was still done by Diwu Lun himself, which also conveniently allowed him to concentrate all power in his own hands.

Next was the Imperial Counselor, vice-deputy to the Chancellor and also charged with overseeing the hundred officials. Diwu Lun chose Jing Dan for this post. With the Chancellorship vacant, the Imperial Counselor would have to shoulder a great share of the administrative burden. The only man with the ability for this, and with sufficient familiarity with Weibei to know how to govern it, was Jing Dan. Still, there was no shortage of people muttering things like "the latecomer surpasses those before him." But if one really reckoned it up, in terms of personal ties, Jing Dan had indeed come first.

The remaining men were made the Nine Ministers. Wan Xiu became "Commandant of the Guards." Since Diwu Lun had no palace complex to speak of, nor any need for Wan Xiu to stand sentry, this was a title in name only; he concurrently served as "General of the Guard," in charge of military campaigns.

Geng Yan became "Grand Coachman." Like Wan Xiu, this too was a title in name only; he concurrently served as General of Chariots and Cavalry. Diwu Lun indeed handed over to him all the chariots and cavalry under his command, including the Yue Cavalry Battalion that needed reorganizing.

Diwu Biao became "Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace," the military post closest to Diwu Lun—after all, he was regarded as "my Fan Kuai."

Diba Jiao, a fellow clansman, became "Director of the Imperial Clan," specially in charge of clan affairs. Most of the clan were mediocrities; only Diba Jiao, tempered by hardship, had revealed the quality of unpolished jade. Those few clansmen who could still be of some use were mostly dispatched to serve under him in sinecures, to spare them from complaining right now that Diwu Lun had forgotten his roots.

Ren Guang was selected for the Nine Ministers as he had wished, serving as "Internal Clerk for Grain Administration"—he had no idea that he had come within a hair's breadth of landing the Chancellorship. Ren Guang's proposals always struck exactly the right chord with Diwu Lun, earning his affection. Distributing grain in Chang'an and overseeing the evacuation had both demonstrated his ability. It was only because Ren Guang had also joined midway, and because he was being put back to his old trade of managing grain supplies and agriculture.

Though somewhat reluctant, Song Hong still became "Privy Treasurer," in charge of the economy. The man had considerable talent, merely wasted by Wang Mang. Whether Diwu Lun could someday rebuild the currency might well depend on Song Hong's assistance. Diwu Lun dispatched Diwu Xian, a clan member well-versed in commerce, to serve as Privy Treasurer's Aide, assisting Song Hong.

Furthermore, Peng Chong—who had been defeated by Tian Kuang and missed the Battle of Linjin—was still given the post of "Commandant of Justice" by Diwu Lun. This left the trembling, fearful Peng Chong overwhelmed with gratitude. Guo Hong, a man of Yangzhai, a former Master of Fates of the Five Majesties who had surrendered and was well-versed in the Xiao Du Code, was made Aide to the Commandant of Justice to assist him.

Wang Long became "Minister of Ceremonies," in charge of ritual. Matters such as the State of Wei's altars of soil and grain and its ancestral temple were handed over to him and Diba Jiao to organize, and the work of re-collating the classical texts could not be neglected either.

Feng Yan became "Minister of Guests." Because of his outstanding performance in Longyou, this armchair strategist could at last specialize in "foreign relations," and was utterly overjoyed.

The Nine Ministers' seats were thus all filled. The chief meritorious officials had each been allotted a post, and most could be thoroughly satisfied.

Zheng Tong, who had punched through the Dragon Head Canal, together with his old comrade Zang Nu, were made Left and Right Generals of the Gentlemen of the Palace—only this time, Zheng Tong was on the Right, ranking above Zang Nu.

Even men like Zhang Yu and Zhu Di were made Palace Gentlemen and inner attendants to Diwu Lun. Truly, when a man rises, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

There were still some men whom Diwu Lun did not place within his administrative core, instead making them "Three Elders and Three Solitaries," bestowing upon them seemingly lofty titular honors.

Grand Preceptor: Diwu Lun's recommender, Zhang Zhan. Whether Zhang Zhan liked it or not, this big hat still had to be clapped onto his head.

Grand Mentor: Wang Yuan, Marquis of Qiongcheng. Wang Yuan was the foremost of the Weibei powerful families. Their attitude toward Diwu Lun proclaiming himself king was one of suspicion and fence-sitting.

Grand Guardian: filled by Ma Yuan, Governor of Shang Commandery. Ma Yuan was a member of Diwu Lun's maternal family, and also the main force holding the Hu-Han and Lu Fang at bay in the north. Diwu Lun could negotiate with every other Han claimant, but with the Hu-Han, absolutely no chance. He had killed two of Lu Fang's brothers; there was a blood feud between them. Even if Lu Fang could let it go, Diwu Lun could still hold fast to the righteous cause of the nation.

Besides the Three Elders, there were also the "Three Solitaries." Junior Preceptor: Dou Rong.

Junior Mentor: the younger Geng's teacher, the representative of the Maoling Confucian scholars, Du Lin.

Junior Guardian: the surrendered general, Shi Chen.

Speaking of this Shi Chen, after Diwu Lun resolved to declare himself king, he had submitted a memorial: "The Book of Rites states: 'Of old, behind the Son of Heaven were established the Six Palaces, the Three Consorts, the Nine Concubines, the Twenty-Seven Hereditary Ladies, and the Eighty-One Royal Wives, in all one hundred and twenty persons, by which to hear the inner governance of all under Heaven, and to manifest and make clear womanly obedience; thus was the inner realm harmonious and the household well-ordered.'"

"When the Great King establishes his state, he too should establish the regulations for the inner court."

In short, one single message: hurry up and open the rear palace!

This was, in truth, Shi Chen's selfish motive. Back when Feng Yan had gone to persuade him to surrender, he had said that the reason Diwu Lun had deliberately chosen the very day of Wang Mang's grand wedding to rise in revolt was to sabotage the ceremony. Shi Chen, at his wit's end at the time, had believed it to be true. Yet now, more than a month later, Diwu Lun had not given him so much as a hint, not even a single glance, leaving Shi Chen wishing to offer his daughter but finding no door.

Only today, knowing that Diwu Lun's principal wife was far away in Wei territory, and that he had been without a woman by his side for several whole months, Shi Chen thought that after proclaiming himself king, Diwu Lun would surely relax and enjoy some pleasures at last. And so, his head hot with impulse, he had submitted this memorial.

The result, however, was a thorough dressing-down from Diwu Lun, who had no idea of his true intent: "Wang Mang sought to emulate the Yellow Emperor, taking one hundred and twenty consorts to bring auspicious joy and reverse the dynasty's fortunes—and what was the result? Now our institutions are newly and crudely formed, the soldiers toil and suffer, and the common people's wounds and miseries have already surpassed half. I grieve deeply for this. How could I think only of my own pleasure and forget the hardships of our founding?"

Shi Chen was scolded until he was utterly crestfallen, his heart sour with bitterness. Whether it was hauling the cauldrons or proposing to establish a rear palace, why did his well-intentioned deeds always turn out wrong? He did not dare go ask the now "high-ranking and powerful" Feng Yan what exactly was going on. He could only assume that Diwu Lun was so accustomed to ritually declining honors that in this matter too, three refusals were required. He could only wait patiently for the next opportunity. Otherwise, given that his daughter Shi Luo had nearly become Wang Mang's empress, who would dare take her!

Diwu Lun, for his part, truly did follow good counsel. He immediately proclaimed his only son, Diwu Ming, as Heir Apparent of the King of Wei, and Ma Chanchan as Queen of Wei. Although both were far away in Yecheng, settling their titles early would cut off others' improper hopes and set the Ma clan's heart at ease.

And so, the official posts of this State of Wei were, as expected, nearly all distributed. Yet looking over the list, one person was still missing: his grandfather, the General of the Five Tombs, Diwu Ba.

Diwu Lun had pondered the question of just what status Diwu Ba should be placed in. Diba Jiao believed they should follow the precedent from the early Han. Since Liu Bang's father had been made "Grand Emperor," could Diwu Ba not likewise be made "Grand King"?

No, wait—since he was the king's grandfather, should he then be called "Grand Grand King"?

There was no precedent for this. The assembled ministers were all at a loss as to what to do. It was Diwu Ba himself who stepped forward and resolved this ethical quandary for Diwu Lun.

"Even I know that within a single clan, there cannot be two clan heads. In a single kingdom, how can there be two kings?"

Diwu Ba knew the nature of his clansmen. Some thought that in this round of appointments, Diwu Lun had given too little to the clan, and had already begun running to him to grumble and complain. It was like this already—if he truly became "Grand King"…

"Wouldn't the threshold be trampled flat, and my ears be talked into calluses? I beat them off one by one as they come, and still I can't stop it."

And so Diwu Ba merely served as "the King's Grandfather," receiving a personal court visit from Diwu Lun once every five days, the ritual remaining just as it had been in family times. He had thought the matter was resolved to everyone's delight—how could he have known that Diwu Ba would grab hold of Diwu Lun as he turned to leave, lower his voice, and say fiercely:

"Marquis of Ten Thousand Households! This old man's Marquis of Ten Thousand Households—when are you going to enfeoff me?!"

This was the goal Diwu Ba had coveted with greedy eyes ever since his youth! Originally, having encountered an age of peace, with the realm laying down arms and cultivating letters, he had thought all hope was lost and could only entrust it to the next generation, or even the one after that. Who could have foreseen that heaven and earth would be overturned, his own grandson would become a king, and the clan would turn into imperial relatives!

He had no need to worry about the family's pedigree of office; it would surely soar to the heavens. But his own dream—surely he could at least reach out and touch it while he was still alive! If one spoke of merit, he had rallied the clan and risen at Changling, seizing more than half of the Array Commandant's forces. That was no small feat.

Diwu Lun was gripped by his grandfather's iron hand, yet he felt that the strength behind it was not what it had once been.

He could only laugh in exasperation and say, "Grandfather, the system has just been created — my State of Wei is nothing but a rough frame. All I'm doing now is hastily propping up a roof so the people underneath can feel secure, sheltering them from wind and rain, setting up the cauldrons to share out the rice. Otherwise, many will run off under someone else's eaves — all for a bowl of hot gruel, or even just a shout promising a full belly."

"But what comes next must be done step by step. The furnishings and fittings have to be acquired slowly. I've already discussed it with the Three Excellencies and the Nine Ministers — noble ranks will be settled after we take Hedong, and when the time comes, Grandfather will certainly not be left out. Nor would I dare say 'enfeoffed as a marquis,' but rather 'called to be a marquis.'"

Only then did Diwu Ba loosen his grip. Diwu Lun asked teasingly, "I just wonder — what title would Grandfather like for his marquisate?"

After this month and more of turmoil, Diwu Ba — his teeth loose and about to fall out, his hair growing sparse — turned his gaze to the west. "Back then, I followed Colonel Chen Tang on the western expedition. Colonel Chen said: 'This time we have beheaded Zhizhi Chanyu; we shall hang his head among the barbarian quarters at Gaozhi Street, to show them for ten thousand li!'"

"My marquisate — call it… 'Marquis of Ten Thousand Li!'"

…

PS: Chapter 3 at 18:00, aiming for a big chapter (heavy fog).