Chapter 294: Sir, Do Not Cross the River

Wude County in Henei Commandery lies close to the Yellow River. It was once called "Wushe" — said to be the place where King Wu of Zhou crossed the river to attack Yin. The First Emperor of Qin changed the name, the meaning being that Qin had taken the realm by martial virtue.

Diwu Lun, who likewise wished to establish his rule by martial virtue, also chose this place to convene the powerful clans of Henei. Across the river from this county lay the Aocang Granary, which Wang Yi had ordered set ablaze — though the fire was now extinguished, green smoke still rose from it. Many Henan gentry fleeing the chaos had also crossed the river by any means possible and arrived here, just as the scholars had fled to Wei when Yanzhou was ravaged by the war between the Red Eyebrows and the imperial army.

The first person Diwu Lun summoned was the renowned scholar of Huai County, Cai Mao.

Diwu Lun showed Cai Mao great courtesy, going in person outside the county office where he was temporarily staying and saluting with clasped hands. "Several months ago, when I led eight hundred stalwart men west toward the capital, you, Master Cai, visited and tried to dissuade me. Later, when Ma Wenyuan marched his troops to seize Henei, it was again your assistance that let him take Huai County without bloodshed. Now I wish to appoint you Grand Palace Grandee — what do you think, Zili?"

This Cai Mao was a friend of Dou Rong. Birds of a feather flock together — one would think him a man one could get along with. But Diwu Lun had miscalculated.

Cai Mao gave Diwu Lun a slight bow. "This post — Cai Mao dare not accept."

Playing the refusal game in front of me? Diwu Lun was about to press further, but Cai Mao said solemnly, "In my view, titles such as General of the Household, Grand Palace Grandee, and Bearer of the Imperial Credentials are all instruments of a true king, not things a subject ought to establish. Confucius said, 'The vessel and the name — these may not be lent to others.' That which may not be lent to others may also not be borrowed from others."

Diwu Lun was beginning to understand. He put away his smile. "Dare I ask you, sir: in establishing offices and granting ranks and stipends under the title of King of Wei, from whom have I borrowed?"

Cai Mao shook his head. "Though it is already too late, I must still say it: for you, General, to declare yourself king was truly somewhat rash."

"In former times, King Wen of Zhou inherited the legacy of his ancestors' virtue, and with his own brilliance and wisdom, held two parts of the realm in three, yet still he was able to serve the Yin. When King Wu succeeded him, eight hundred lords gathered at Mengjin without prior arrangement, all saying, 'Shang Zhou may now be punished.' King Wu held that Heaven's mandate was not yet knowable, and so he withdrew his army and awaited the proper time."

What was this old fellow beating around the bush for? Diwu Lun frowned. "Is your meaning, sir, that my raising troops to strike down Wang Mang violates the rites between lord and subject?"

Cai Mao shook his head. "To strike the unrighteous with righteousness, to execute a tyrant — that is, of course, the great justice of the realm. But your subsequent actions, General, cannot help but make one suspect ulterior motives."

"The Exalted Emperor of Han campaigned for many years, yet still marched under the title Duke of Pei. Now, though your fine virtue is manifest, the age lacks the lineage of the ancestral Zhou; though your authority and strategy are stirring, you have not yet achieved the merit of the Exalted Emperor. Yet you have rashly honored yourself as king and wish to undertake a venture that cannot yet be done — I fear this will only hasten disaster."

Diwu Lun had already drawn a great "X" over this man's face in his mind. "Is Master Cai urging me to renounce my royal title at once?"

Cai Mao smiled. "That will not be necessary. You need only supplement the rites of a subject — offer your lands and request investiture from the true Son of Heaven, and receive formal enfeoffment. Only then will your title be proper and your words carry authority."

The Palace Gentleman Zhang Yu, standing to the side, had reached the limit of his patience and truly wished to cut this old man's head off with one stroke. But Diwu Lun stopped him and smiled. "Submit as a subject to whom?"

"Han."

Cai Mao said, "The Spring and Autumn Annals say: 'A mouth that speaks no words of loyalty and good faith is called obstinate; an ear that hears not the harmony of the five notes is called deaf.' Has the General not heard the clamor among the common people? All yearn for Han's virtue! The hearts of men are with Han! This is the great trend of the realm."

True enough — otherwise there would not be so many people trying to seize an opportunity, where simply raising a Han banner was enough to make territories submit as if by proclamation.

Diwu Lun remained silent. The short-statured Huang Chang, who attended at his side, retorted, "Which Han does the master mean? Western Han? Greenwood Han? Northern Han? Surely not the barbarian Han propped up by the Xiongnu!"

Cai Mao said, "Liu Xin aided Wang Mang in his usurpation. The Former Han Crown Prince Ying is dull-witted and cannot serve as sovereign; he is merely a puppet of the Wei clan and Liu Xin."

"As for the Liu Ziyu set up by the three Lius north of the river, his identity is a mystery, real or false unknown. And the so-called Liu Wenbo beyond the frontier is the vile barbarian Lu Fang in disguise — a fact the General has already had men spread through the commanderies."

He clasped his hands toward the south. "Only the Gengshi Emperor of Nanyang — dragon-risen, phoenix-soaring — led the multitudes of Wan and Ye, rallied scattered troops, swore blood oaths at Kunyang, drove straight into Luoyi, shattered a million-man formation, crushed Wang Yi's army, and awed the Central Plains. Before one's eyes, he seems poised to sweep across the realm and purge calamity. Since you, General, have already executed the unprincipled and joined in overthrowing the Xin, you ought to join hands with the Son of Heaven of Nanyang, aid him in sweeping the lands west of the passes, pacifying Hebei, and resisting the Xiongnu, so that the realm may be settled swiftly and the common people spared the suffering of war!"

By this point, Cai Mao's stance was quite clear: Cai Zili had become renowned for his Confucian learning during the reigns of Emperors Ai and Ping of Han. He had been summoned and tested for the post of Erudite, submitted policy proposals on disasters and anomalies, and for his excellence was promoted to Court Counselor, then transferred to Palace Attendant. Just when Wang Mang was acting as regent, Cai Mao reported illness and resigned, refusing to serve as an official of the Xin. He returned home and lived in seclusion among the markets — until he rallied the forces of Henei and helped Ma Yuan seize this territory.

So this was a hidden loyalist of the great Han. The reason he had helped Ma Yuan earlier was to end the Xin dynasty's rule. And because he fancied he had rendered great service, he dared to speak his mind freely before Diwu Lun. Leaving a man like this in Henei was simply a calamity!

Diwu Lun stopped Huang Chang, who was eager to debate Cai Mao thoroughly, and actually slapped his thigh. "Your words, sir, exactly accord with my own intent!"

"I have just sent men to deliver Ai Zhang's severed head to the great Han's Duke Who Stabilizes the State in Luoyang, but I have not yet had time to dispatch a formal envoy."

"The reason I wished to appoint you, sir, as Grand Palace Grandee was precisely to ask you, Master Cai, to serve as my emissary — to pay respects to the Gengshi Emperor on my behalf and observe whether he is worthy!"

After Cai Mao took his leave and departed, Zhang Yu was so angry he kept feeling the sword at his waist. He could only say, "Your Majesty, Cai Mao, he..."

Diwu Lun nodded. "I never imagined that even now, there would still be men so stubbornly out of touch."

He had thought that as circumstances changed, people's thinking would change too. A pity...

"Han loyalists" like Cai Mao were by no means few. After being provoked by Wang Mang, they had clung to two obstinate notions: "This realm belongs to the Liu clan, and always will. No matter how well any other surname governs, none is worthy to take their place."

"As long as every power submits together to the most legitimate Han, the realm is unified, and all the old institutions of the Han dynasty are restored, then the state will be at peace and the people content."

This was merely another form of restoring the ancient. What Wang Mang wanted to restore was the rule of the Three Dynasties — a void, elusive antiquity one could only guess at. What Cai Mao and his ilk wanted to restore was the old days of twenty or thirty years ago, the seemingly peaceful times preserved in their memories.

The Cai Mao affair showed that with the Xin dynasty utterly destroyed and their common enemy lost, many who had once been friends, people one could cooperate with, had now moved to the opposing side.

It was fortunate that Diwu Lun, whether intentionally or not, had helped bring about the situation of multiple Han regimes existing side by side. Otherwise, if there were only one, such people would be even more numerous — it would truly become a case of "who in the realm is not in league with Han?"

The chaotic infighting among the various Han regimes had not yet begun. There were always those who harbored illusions about them, especially the Gengshi regime, which had won the Battle of Kunyang thanks to Liu Xiu and now had the greatest momentum. Perhaps it was time to use bloody facts to sober up those still living twenty years in the past.

"Zhang Yu." Diwu Lun called his name. "You will escort Cai Mao across the river."

Zhang Yu was overjoyed. Thinking he understood what Diwu Lun wanted, he guaranteed that when the boat reached mid-river, it would certainly and suddenly sink!

"No. You must deliver him to the opposite bank." Diwu Lun, however, seemed to see right through what Zhang Yu was thinking. He merely asked, "Among the Greenwood chieftains, whose troops have the worst discipline?"

Diwu Lun had sent no small number of scouts and spies to the south bank. Huang Chang knew the situation well and immediately reported: "The best discipline is Wang Chang's, garrisoned at Hongnong. Wang Kuang, holding Luoyang, is next. Zhang Ang and Cheng Dan, deployed at Chenggao and Chenliu, are both very poor. Their troops are mostly remnant and surrendered soldiers of the Xin army from Kunyang. Those men were already violent and oppressive toward the people before; now that they've changed their banners, they've only grown worse."

"Then deliver Cai Mao to the vicinity of Chenggao. Remember — give him plenty of silk and valuables."

Diwu Lun smiled. "Let all those whose hearts still turn toward Nanyang come forward one by one, just like this. It will make it convenient for me to send them all south!"

"Master Cai, we have reached the south bank."

The boat's oar braced against the bank. The silk and other goods Diwu Lun had prepared for Cai Mao were loaded onto horses and led from the large boat onto the south bank. Cai Mao himself, carried on the back of a sturdy servant, waded through the water to dry land.

The hem of his robe soaked, Cai Mao could not help muttering, "Why not dock at the pier?"

"The piers were mostly burned when the Xin army and the Greenwood troops fought."

But this voice drifted farther and farther away. When he turned around, he saw the long oar push off, sending the boat away from the bank again. Zhang Yu stood at the prow, clasping his hands toward Cai Mao with a smile on his face. "I hope you take care, Master Cai!"

This young Palace Gentleman at Diwu Lun's side was far too negligent — he had simply dumped Cai Mao on the south bank and left him. This area must be near the Aocang Granary, also the place where the fiercest fighting between the Xin remnants and the Greenwood forces raged. That great channel was clearly where the Honggou Canal entered the river. As the great artery east of the passes, this canal was forever busy. The hides, ivory, nanmu, catalpa, bamboo, and arrows of Wu and Chu; the lacquer, silk, and fine and coarse hempen cloth of Wei and Song — all passed through it in trade. And the most important commodity was grain. Grain from east of the passes would gather at Aocang and then be distributed everywhere.

Today, however, not a single plank or sail could be seen on the Honggou Canal. Instead, there were quite a few corpses lying fallen, already beginning to stink. Far and near, there was no sign of human habitation — only the occasional wild dog trotting by with a human hand in its jaws.

This was the scene of great chaos after war. How could a recluse who had lived with dignity for decades adapt to such a sight? Cai Mao pinched his nose to block the foul stench, deeply shocked. Diwu Lun had sent men to proclaim that the lands south of the great river were ravaged by military disaster, the people ruined and scattered, the common folk stricken. Cai Mao had assumed it was mostly exaggeration — how could the heavenly troops of Han be the same as the Xin army? He had not expected that what he saw today — villages empty of people, corpses of starvation everywhere — showed that Diwu Lun had actually understated it.

After walking only a few steps, he noticed a group of people sitting on the ground not far away, constantly gazing toward the mouth of the Honggou Canal. They numbered a full hundred, their clothing a chaotic mix. They looked like bandits and roving outlaws, yet the banner they flew clearly read "Han"!

Cai Mao had no time for surprise or delight, nor did he need to go up and greet them. The group rose with a hubbub, grabbed their blades, and charged toward him. As they came, they cursed and grumbled, "Since the day before yesterday, there's been word that a high official of the Xin dynasty would land here with plenty of gold and silk. Cut off his head and you'll get a reward from the Duke Who Stabilizes the State. We've waited so long — he's finally come!"

"Master Cai was robbed by the Greenwood troops! His fate is unknown!"

Zhang Yu brought the servant of Cai Mao — who had fled back to the river, swum to the boat, and begged for help — back to Wude County and reported this news to Diwu Lun. He recounted the events in the presence of the powerful clans of Henei. When he described how Cai Mao had been robbed by the utterly unreasonable Greenwood soldiers, had been beaten, and was now missing and possibly dead, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Huang Chang, the Grandee Remonstrant who had been ordered to take charge of this matter, also said with a pained expression, "I too never imagined that Master Cai, having escaped the tyranny of Wang Mang, would fall at the coming of dawn — robbed and killed by Han soldiers!"

Yet in his heart, Huang Chang was merrily singing a ballad from Han times: "Sir, do not cross the river — yet the sir crossed the river. Crossing the river, he died — what can be done for the sir now? Hahahahaha!"

The famous scholars and loyalists who yearned day and night for a Han restoration, pouring their hearts into fleeing south, were instead robbed and murdered by Greenwood rebel soldiers flying the "Han" banner — the scene was indeed deeply ironic, far more entertaining than simply defeating him in debate.

The crowd looked at one another in dismay. "What Han soldiers? These are clearly roving bandits!"

And Diwu Lun, at just the right moment, had powerful families and scholars who had fled from Luoyang and other places appear before everyone, or go into the marketplaces of Huai County, to recount their tragic experiences — the Greenwood Chengdan division's massacres, rapes and plunder, the robbing of wealthy households, the seizing of commoners for corvée labor, all laid out one by one. The common people were terrified. Even those influenced by Cai Mao who still harbored illusions about the Greenwood Han found their hopes of welcoming them into Henei largely shattered.

Thank goodness a great river separates us — no, thank goodness the King of Wei has troops protecting Henei!

Everyone there had sharp eyes. The clever ones knew that if they did not submit soon, they might follow in Cai Mao's footsteps, while those not clever enough simply went on cursing the Greenwood bandits.

Most people were still pragmatic, concerned with their own safety and their standing in the commandery. What was more, if there were only one Han under heaven, it would be simple — after overthrowing Xin, naturally you welcome Han officials. But with one in the south and one in the north in opposition, and word of two more in the west and on the frontier, this left them quite bewildered.

Diwu Lun also had people secretly spread word that Liu Ziyu's identity was false, so that for a time, neither the Greenwood Han nor the Northern Han could be relied upon. The great clans and powerful families of Henei, and even the scholars and commoners, thought it over carefully and concluded it was better to submit to the King of Wei's rule and maintain the status quo.

After this affair, Diwu Lun's plan to select and appoint officials in Henei went far more smoothly. Henei was rather far from his main base, and sweeping reforms could easily spin out of control; for now, he could only implement rule by proxy. Diwu Lun weighed the political leanings of each Henei faction, removed those who had been too close to Cai Mao, and finally selected a list of names.

The Sima clan of Wen County did not even cast a shadow yet. The foremost great clan of Henei was the Li of Huai County — Li Zhang, whose family had held two-thousand-bushel posts for five generations. As Commandery Wuguan Clerk, he was quite capable. During the days when the Grand Governor and Bureau Head were absent and Ma Yuan, temporarily serving as Governor, was busy attacking Hedong, the Henei government office largely relied on him to make decisions.

And aside from Cai Mao, the most venerable and respected man in Henei was old Fu Zhan — the one who "would not fight, would not negotiate, would not defend, would not surrender, would not die, would not flee." This man was far cleverer than Cai Mao. As one of Wang Mang's old ministers, he never breathed a word about restoring the Han or not restoring the Han; his mind was solely set on teaching and nurturing students, and he never even left his house. Ma Yuan had experienced his formidable skill and guessed that the old fellow was waiting for Diwu Lun to come to his door and invite him.

After Diwu Lun arrived at the commandery seat of Huai County from Wude, he met with the two men in turn. He appointed Li Zhang as Commandery Assistant, placating the great clans, and invited Fu Zhan to serve as Commandery Elder, satisfying the scholars' expectations.

But the person Diwu Lun received after this was entirely unexpected.

Du Shi of Ji County, the Henei Gongcao, was a slovenly fellow. His family was not particularly powerful in Henei. After the Henei regime changed hands, Du Shi paid it no mind at all — Han officials, Xin officials, Wei officials, they were all officials to him. He simply kept his head down, staring at his bamboo slips, writing and sketching on them.

"Du Jungong."

Someone had been standing beside him for a long time and suddenly spoke, startling Du Shi. He looked up and saw it was Diwu Lun, dressed in plain clothes and wearing a yuanyou cap — what was he doing in the Gongcao office!

Du Shi moved to prostrate himself, but Diwu Lun told him to dispense with the formalities, then pointed at what Du Shi had drawn on the wooden tablet and said, "Is this the water-powered bellows that uses flowing water instead of human labor to drive the blast?"

"What a coincidence — when I was in Wei, I had someone build a similar machine!"

…

PS: I thought I could make it on time, but I got stuck writing and it took far too long. Sorry.

Tomorrow's update will be at 13:00. (I said in an earlier single chapter, this is written for myself to see, to force myself to write — otherwise, with my personality, I'd definitely keep putting it off indefinitely. Sorry.)