Chapter 302: Smashing the Pots

Back in the day, when Diba Biao first entered the Chang'an palace complex, he had said something similar to Diwu Lun: "Clan Leader, why not divide the palace women among the brothers!"

In the end, Diwu Lun distracted them with gold and other rewards, and the matter was never raised again.

And today was the same — Liu Ji's rash proposal earned him another kick from Liu Bosheng.

"Have the palace women dazzled even you?"

Liu Bosheng naturally had to refuse: "The art of war teaches that any good general forbids women in the army market. Otherwise, the soldiers wallow in lust, sink into soft affections, and in battle each one frets over his own woman — how could they ever win?"

What's more, the trouble is not scarcity but inequality. If colonels and platoon commanders get women, what will the rank and file think? Most likely they'll start looting on their own, military discipline will collapse, and fighting strength will plummet. They wouldn't even need to wait for the day they attack Diwu Lun — they'd fall into chaos on their own.

"Then tell us, Great King, what should be done!"

Liu Ji had been scolded several times over the past few days and his temper was up. He and Liu Bosheng were cousins who had roughhoused together since childhood, and now he was angry too. He plopped down inside the tent and grumbled: "The reason the soldiers were willing to leave their homes in Nanyang and follow the Great King into the Pass — first, they revere the Great King's name as the Pillar-Supporting Grand General, the first to raise the banner of righteousness. They believe that following you means victory in every battle. Second, they hoped that by coming to the capital they would gain some benefits."

"But now the gold, silver, and valuables have all been carted off by that damned Diwu Lun. The government storehouses hold nothing but rats. The Great King forbids the soldiers from plundering wealthy households and commoners, and in the past few days has executed dozens to enforce military law. The only thing left in the palace are some women, yet you won't let them be divided up either. If the Great King means to fight Diwu Lun, with the soldiers receiving not the slightest reward and not even enough grain to eat, I'm afraid they won't risk their lives in battle."

In his opinion, they ought to pick some great household south of the Wei River, or a county town that refused to submit, and slaughter it — only that would boost morale.

Yet Liu Bosheng prided himself on leading a righteous army. His ruthlessness was directed mainly at the remnants of the Xin Dynasty and Wang Mang's Nine Temples. Now he too was fretting over having no rewards to give. He had made many promises before entering the Pass; now that he could not fulfill them, if he told his men "you'll be rewarded after we take the north bank of the Wei," they probably would not believe him.

For a moment Liu Bosheng was struck dumb by Liu Ji's questioning. He recalled the letter his younger brother Liu Xiu had sent back then, urging their elder brother to request a command to take the Huai region and on no account enter the Pass. Now he finally understood why.

But he was not Liu Xiu. Xiur was good at maneuvering. Liu Bosheng could only charge straight ahead! Just as at the Battle of the Tang River, facing a superior enemy, he had arrayed his troops, sworn them to the cause, burned the stores, smashed the cooking pots, and advanced to the beat of the drums!

Wait — smash the cooking pots…

Liu Bosheng suddenly thought of something. He walked over and gave Liu Ji, who was sitting on the ground sulking, a kick.

"Aji, tell me — which is worth more, the pot, or the food inside the pot?"

The "Aji" was very affectionate, and Liu Ji's anger vanished. He turned around with a grin: "The pot, of course!"

Liu Bosheng sat down beside him, gazing at the distant palace buildings massed like clouds, and asked Liu Ji: "Which is worth more — the house, or the pots and jars inside it?"

"The house, naturally."

In any generation, building a house is no easy task. An ordinary dwelling costs a middling family several years of savings — let alone the Emperor's houses!

Liu Bosheng saw the light in a flash. He immediately summoned Deng Chen and asked him: apart from the great palaces of Chang'an — Jianzhang, Weiyang, Changle, Mingguang, and the rest — how many detached palaces were there in total on the south bank of the Wei, the territory they controlled?

Because Diwu Lun had swept away all the documents, it was hard to check. Deng Chen could not give a clear answer either. After consulting several former officials of the Xin Dynasty, he said hesitantly: "Mainly within the Shanglin Park — some seventy or so in all, I suppose?"

The Son of Heaven of the Great Han knew how to enjoy himself, surpassing even the Second Emperor of Qin. What was Epang Palace? Within a thousand li of the Han imperial domain, under the administration of the capital region, there were one hundred and forty-five palaces and lodges, inner and outer.

Chengguang Palace, Yichun Palace, Changmen Palace, Dinghu Palace, Xuanqu Palace, Yuanwang Observatory, Pingle Observatory, Danglu Observatory — these served as resting and entertainment places for the Emperor when he toured the landscape and hunted. Another portion of the palaces and observatories were used to raise and cultivate rare animals and plants, such as the Dog-Keeping Palace, Fully Palace, Grape Palace, Five-Zu Palace, Yiyi Palace, Coursing-Hound Observatory, Silkworm Observatory, White Elephant Observatory, White Deer Observatory, Shanglan Observatory, White Poplar Observatory, Yuzhang Observatory, Xiliu Observatory, and others.

On the south bank of the Wei alone, which Liu Bosheng and his men controlled, there were at least twelve palaces, twenty-five observatories, and thirty-six parks, each capable of housing a hundred chariots and a thousand men.

"Diwu Lun carried off the wealth and goods from the government storehouses and let the people of Chang'an strip the palaces bare — but the palaces themselves, he could not carry away!"

Liu Bosheng, still fretting over rewards, had suddenly found his answer. He laughed heartily: "Pass on my order! Those who have rendered meritorious service by following me into the Pass — lieutenant generals shall receive detached palaces, colonels shall receive palace observatories, and officers and soldiers shall each be allotted the houses beside the palaces. Henceforth, those who achieve merit shall be rewarded in the same manner, until all are distributed!"

Not to mention Deng Chen's astonishment — even Liu Ji was stunned. They had merely been eyeing the palace women; they never imagined Liu Bosheng would be so generous as to hand out the palaces and observatories south of the Wei, built with who knew how much labor and resources, as casually as mud-brick huts!

Deng Chen wanted to remonstrate. He felt this was a wastrel selling off the family estate, damaging the dignity of the Han house. Moreover, if word got back to Wancheng through interested parties, it would surely enrage Liu Xuan, who might even cut off the road through Wu Pass — highly inadvisable. But Liu Bosheng no longer cared in the slightest.

"In an emergency, one adapts. Victory or defeat between us and Diwu Lun will be decided within a matter of months — life and death hang on a single thought. Who has time to worry about what comes after?"

"Besides, the High Temple was burned by the usurper — what do mere palaces count for?"

These detached palaces were mostly built during the time of Emperor Wu of Han. Liu Che wasn't even Liu Bosheng's ancestor, just a relative! Giving them away didn't hurt a bit!

There were advantages to being a rough, reckless man. Pushed to the brink by Diwu Lun, Liu Bosheng had something of a "smash the pots" attitude: "Though Xiao He said that the Son of Heaven makes his home everywhere under heaven, and without magnificence there is no way to reinforce his authority — yet even in the time of the High Emperor, the dignity of the Han house ultimately rested not on these magnificent palaces, but on what was won on horseback!"

…

"Gouyi Palace?"

When Yu Kuang, a deputy colonel under Liu Bosheng, heard this name, he was rather puzzled: "That name sounds strange."

"Lady Gouyi was a beauty." Deng Ye, a man from Xi County in Hongnong, was a Confucian scholar who had read a few books and was more knowledgeable than the illiterate Yu Kuang. He said: "This palace was built especially for her by Emperor Wu of Han."

At the mention of a beauty, the men perked up: "Then where is Lady Gouyi?"

"She was put to death by Emperor Wu of Han while still young."

"What a waste!" The bandits under his command sighed with regret, but that did not stop them from each starting to claim rooms in Gouyi Palace. The place was enormous — it could house a thousand palace attendants, so naturally it could also hold a thousand soldiers.

Deng Ye climbed onto the wall of the detached palace and gazed at the Imperial Academy not far away. Gouyi Palace lay in the southern suburbs of Chang'an, not far from the burned Nine Temples.

"Back when I wasn't a bandit, I once wanted to study and become a student at the Imperial Academy."

Recalling those days, Deng Ye sighed with emotion. But to become an Imperial Academy student required not only learning but also family wealth. Because he had been reported for counterfeiting coins under Wang Mang, he had fled into the mountains and become a bandit, leading a gang that robbed traveling merchants in the southern district of Xi County.

During that time, they had even robbed a merchant caravan that Diwu Xian had dispatched southward to gather intelligence. Later, when Diwu Lun traveled to Nanyang on business, he devised a plan to lure them into a robbery, captured Yu Kuang, but then released him. He reached an agreement with Deng Ye, forbidding him from robbing any of their family's personnel passing through again.

But as the realm descended into chaos and merchant travel ceased, Deng Ye and Diwu Lun lost contact. Meanwhile, the bandits under his command grew ever more numerous, swelling from a hundred-odd to several hundred and then over a thousand, effectively controlling Xi County. In the seventh month of this year, three pieces of news arrived simultaneously: Diwu Lun had seized Chang'an and driven out Wang Mang; Liu Xiu had defeated a three-hundred-thousand-strong Xin army at Kunyang; and Liu Bosheng had taken Wancheng. For a time, Deng Ye did not know whom he should answer.

Wu Pass had surrendered to the Green Han. Liu Bosheng led his army on the western campaign, and because his troops were insufficient, he recruited along the way. Deng Ye thus led his force to join him. Liu Bosheng, unaware of his past, rather admired his ability and appointed him "Han-Supporting Colonel," but it was only a hollow title — he had no more than two thousand men under him and belonged to the peripheral, mixed-quality troops.

In the first few days after entering Chang'an, Deng Ye and Yu Kuang had regretted their choice. The palaces and storehouses were completely empty; they got nothing in the distribution, and looting could only be done quietly in private.

The two had even secretly discussed: "Diwu Lun has declared himself King of Wei north of the Wei. They say gold, grain, and beautiful serving girls are all in his hands. We have old ties with the King of Wei — at worst, we could find a way to abduct his friend Cen Peng and go over to him. Surely we'd be appointed to high office. What do you think?"

Before this plan could be put into action, with a great clang — as Liu Bosheng awoke from his dream — Gouyi Palace came crashing down onto their heads.

They saw that this palace, though emptied by the people of Chang'an, still had carved and painted rafters, with jade ornaments at the rafter-ends — the jade was gone, but the rafter-ends remained. And the covered walkways for carriages wound on and on, linked together, leveling the high hills to build halls upon them, with terraces and pavilions piled up layer upon layer.

And this was just one unremarkable detached palace on the city's outskirts. Around Chang'an there were dozens, even a hundred, similar palaces, many far larger than this one. Now half of them had been distributed to the generals and colonels.

The vanity of these rough-and-ready heroes was immensely satisfied. They sighed with admiration at Liu Bosheng's bold generosity — truly worthy of the Pillar-Supporting Grand General.

Yu Kuang sat down on a fine couch stripped of its curtains — still more comfortable than the rocks in the mountains. He took off his shoes, picked at his foot, and said: "Colonel Deng, what do you say — if we crossed the river to join Diwu Lun, would what he gives be more generous than Liu Bosheng's rewards?"

It was true that Diwu Lun had old ties with them — but Liu Bosheng was giving simply too much!

Deng Ye, however, said darkly: "This palace may be fine, but can you eat it? The beams and pillars may be tall, but you can't gnaw on them to fill your belly. Though Liu Bosheng has divided the detached palaces among the three armies, making the soldiers rejoice, the grain has not been distributed in the promised amounts. Now, unless we loot, we can barely eat our fill!"

"If this goes on, a battle between Liu Bosheng and Diwu Lun is inevitable. What we should be thinking about is not who gives more and who gives less, but who will win — Diwu Lun or Liu Bosheng!"

…

"No exchange."

In early September, Yin Shi returned from north of the Wei. He had barely put forward Diwu Lun's conditions when Liu Bosheng flatly refused.

These words made Yin Shi's heart turn cold. Liu Bosheng came down personally to console him: "Once we defeat Diwu Lun, your younger brother and sister will naturally be able to return, and we can send her to reunite with Wenshu."

Recalling his sister's unusual decisiveness, Yin Shi did not know what to say, but Liu Bosheng spoke instead: "What's more, if I had executed Cen Peng today, I fear everyone would feel endangered. Tomorrow, if Diwu Lun trades grain for the surrendered officers like Kong Ren, his personal enemies, must we also obey?"

Then again, if you let Deng Chen, who manages logistics, decide, he would actually be quite willing to make that deal!

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Because as time entered the ninth month, Chang'an, which in past years had relied on the autumn harvest for ample grain, was now facing a food crisis.

In previous years, the grain flowing into Chang'an's eastern and western markets came mainly from the fertile lands along the Zhengguo Canal and the Bai Canal north of the Wei River. Now those lands belong to two different powers. The Wei Bridge is destroyed, canal boats have vanished, and Chang'an can only be fed by the lands south of the Wei.

However, although Liu Bosheng's great army controls the vicinity of Chang'an, the actual controllers of the various counties are the powerful families south of the Wei, men like Wang Zun of Baling. With Diwu Lun's withdrawal, they have taken in many people, fortified their strongholds, held their county borders, stockpiled the autumn grain, and refused to let any grain be shipped out.

This has cut off the supply to Chang'an's grain market, as if a hand were tightening around a throat, making it impossible to breathe. Hundreds of thousands of mouths need to eat every day. Some families still have a little left from the two months' grain Diwu Lun originally distributed to them, having rationed it carefully, but many households already have no rice to put in the pot.

Grain prices in the eastern and western markets have broken through the heavens. Many people carry gilded vessels and exquisite lacquer cups carried out of the palaces — objects once more precious than gold — yet now they cannot be traded for a single dou of rice.

The grain shortage has worsened the breakdown of law and order, but Liu Bosheng can no longer worry about that. He has now essentially abandoned Chang'an, hoping only to keep his army's rations from running out. He also had Deng Chen summon the powerful families south of the Wei together.

Led by Wang Zun of Baling, several major clans from Lantian, Huaili, Zhouzhi, and Duling — the ones who had welcomed Diwu Lun when he raised his troops but did not follow him away like the Shi and Feng clans — were reluctant to abandon their land. Moreover, chaotic times are a good opportunity for a clan to expand, so they stayed in the south to watch how the situation developed.

They were fortunate to encounter men like Liu Bosheng and Deng Chen, powerful figures one could still negotiate with, making dealings fairly comfortable. And Liu Bosheng, long famed for his chivalry, rather suited Wang Zun's taste; Wang Zun himself was a gallant man with a talent for persuasion.

In recent days, seeing Liu Bosheng distribute the palace buildings to his officers and soldiers, Wang Zun saw an opportunity and immediately came to pay his respects, offering a suggestion he claimed could solve the army provisions problem plaguing Liu Bosheng.

This led to today's gathering. Aside from Wang Zun, who wore a smile, the powerful families were inwardly displeased: "Could it be they want to levy grain again?"

Hadn't they just contributed a few days ago? The men were grumbling inwardly. But when Liu Bosheng entered the hall, he wasted no words. He directly raised a wine cup and began speaking of a seemingly unrelated matter.

"Gentlemen."

"Back when I studied at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an, if you went out past the southern suburbs, you could draw near the Shanglin Park."

"Though I could only look around the outer edges, I could still grasp the vastness of Shanglin. I heard it stretches east from Lantian, Yichun, Dinghu, Yusu, and Kunwu, follows the Zhongnan Mountains west to Changyang and Wuzuo, curves north around Huangshan, skirts the Wei River, and turns back east — the morning glow rising from its eastern marshes, the setting sun falling over its western banks. Altogether, it spans several hundred li, does it not?"

"If you risked being arrested by the authorities and ventured a little further in, you could see a riot of flowers and plants, dazzling the eye. Glancing left and right, you would glimpse deep, dense forests where elk and deer roamed, and there were even rhinoceroses from the south."

"If not for the detached palaces and lodges dotted throughout, I would truly have thought I was not in the heartland of Guanzhong, but in the great Cloud Dream Marshes!"

No one knew what Liu Bosheng meant by this, but then they heard him say: "At the time, I thought, how exhilarating it would be to ride in and out, hunting there! I wonder, gentlemen, if any of you have ever had the same thought as I?"

The powerful men looked at one another. The imperial forbidden park — was this something one could even dream of?

But Liu Bosheng dared to dream. And not only did he dare to dream, he dared to act!

"I have already distributed the palaces south of the Wei to my generals and colonels."

Liu Bosheng looked at Wang Zun, nodded toward him, and said: "But besides the palaces, the Shanglin Park spans several hundred li. Within it are nine hundred qing of game preserves and fifteen ponds — Lingkun, Jicao, Niushou, Jingchi, the Eastern and Western Bei Ponds… I cannot remember all the names nor list them. Under the Former Han, they belonged to the imperial house; under Wang Mang, they were controlled by the Five Equals and Six Monopolies. Now, I intend to divide them among the great clans of Guanzhong together!"

"What!"

The powerful men all rose to their feet in shock. Though it was imperial land, their covetous eyes had been on the Shanglin Park for more than a day or two. As early as Emperor Wu's reign, someone had tried to encroach on its land for profit and was caught and executed. Such incidents never ceased in the generations after, but even under Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty, they had only dared to nibble slowly at the outer edges.

Yet now, Liu Bosheng, who controlled the lands south of the Wei, with a grand sweep of his hand — good heavens — was giving Shanglin away!

Rolling ridges and soaring peaks, deep forests and giant trees jutting in jagged layers, eight rivers flowing into the park — for common folk, land that cannot be farmed is only good for cutting firewood, hunting, and gathering mountain goods. But for powerful families, the benefits of these mountain forests are many! During the reigns of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Xuan, worthy scholars and literary men cried out to "return the mountains and forests to the people," and the so-called "people" were precisely these powerful clans with the means to exploit the mountain and forest resources.

How did Sima Xiangru's "Rhapsody on the Shanglin Park" put it? Luju oranges ripen in summer, yellow gans and orange zous, loquats and ran persimmons, ying dates and yangmei… arrayed behind the rear palace, lined along the northern garden.

Fruit trees, medicinal herbs, firewood and charcoal, hunting… even burning down the woods to clear land would be an enormous fortune!

And now, these benefits, once so longed for yet out of reach, were being sold off at an extremely cheap price!

Liu Bosheng's demand of the powerful families was also very simple: supply him with a batch of grain — several thousand shi per family — and also contribute manpower, sending out a portion of their able-bodied men, several hundred per family, to be placed under his unified command! Then, with a grand sweep of his hand: this game preserve, that stretch of forest, and those fish ponds — all yours!

Spurred on by Wang Zun, everyone's hearts were stirred. Those who had grudged their grain, or who had still wanted to wait and see between Diwu Lun and Liu Bosheng and had made excuses not to attend this gathering, would surely regret it deeply.

Some eagerly rose to accept the terms. Others hesitated or pondered. Deng Chen, standing beside Liu Bosheng, watched them, committing each name to memory. Wang Zun's suggestion was truly brilliant. Those willing to accept the terms would become friends, bound to Liu Bosheng's war chariot. But those who still wished to waver between him and Diwu Lun — after refusing, they would likely not be able to leave Chang'an and would be detained as hostages!

Deng Chen thought to himself: "Bosheng is not Wenshu. He is somewhat rash, but after all, he is the 'Pillar-of-Heaven Grand General,' and he has his own formidable way of winning people over."

Namely, he possesses great gallantry and chivalry, and acts with decisiveness!

When it is time to fight, he fights, never equivocating. When it is time to discard material possessions, he discards them, never regretting.

Diwu Lun took everything out of the cauldron, and even rinsed it clean? No matter!

The cauldron itself is also valuable! Liu Bosheng is not particular — with a great crash, he smashes it, breaks it apart, shares it out, trades it for grain, trades it for troops and horses!

Xiang Yu, when he went north to relieve Zhao, crossed the river, sank the boats, and smashed the cauldrons and steamers. And today, it is the same.

"Diwu Lun, just you wait and see."

Liu Bosheng's ambition blazed: "This is my, Liu Yan's, smashing the cauldrons and sinking the boats!"

……

PS: Bonus chapter tomorrow.