Chapter 304: Five Ranks

Better to arrive at the right moment than to arrive early — no phrase could describe Zhang Chun more fittingly.

Zhang Chun's ancestor was the illustrious Zhang Tang. This family began to flourish after the reigns of Emperors Zhao and Xuan, enfeoffed as Marquis of Fuping, until they were squeezed out by the Wang clan's maternal relatives and slipped back to New Qinzhong, content to be local gentry. But in Zhang Chun's generation, he encountered a great patron once more.

"This great patron is none other than the King of Wei. Without the King of Wei, New Qinzhong would long since have fallen to barbarian dust, and we would all be wearing our hair loose and folding our robes to the left."

On the journey south, Zhang Chun recounted this to Diwu Jiming countless times, greatly embellishing Diwu Lun's achievements in resisting the Xiongnu.

The world is in chaos; within a few months, who knows how many have declared themselves emperor or king — a dizzying spectacle. Yet Zhang Chun remained clear-headed.

Upon learning that Diwu Lun had driven out Wang Mang and overthrown the Xin, Zhang Chun pondered briefly, then resolutely decided to go in person to pay homage! He left his sons and Xuan Biao to guard the four counties of New Qinzhong, took his retinue through Beidi Commandery — jointly governed by the Maoling knight-errant Yuan She and the Fu and Gan clans — and arrived at Yueyang City at the start of the ninth month.

Diwu Lun was delighted at the news and received him in the austere Yueyang Palace.

"Lord Zhang."

"When we parted in New Qinzhong that day, the song you personally saw me off with still rings in my ears."

He was no longer the minor Major of a few years ago. Diwu Lun had just held his ennoblement ceremony and still wore the royal nine-pattern ceremonial robes; apart from the sun, moon, and stars, the emblems of mountain, dragon, and temple vessels were all present.

Zhang Chun no longer dared treat him as a callow youth the way he had negotiated terms with Diwu Lun back at the estate. Today, after entering the city, he deliberately did not wash, keeping himself travel-stained, and prostrated himself directly: "When this old servant learned that Your Majesty had ascended the throne, I traveled day and night, regretting only that the road from New Qinzhong is so distant and the rains unceasing along the way, so that I have only arrived today — a grave offense!"

Diwu Lun expressed understanding: "The remoteness of the frontier I once experienced myself. All the more so since the situation in New Qinzhong is complex; Lord Zhang had to make proper arrangements before coming."

He helped Zhang Chun up and inquired about conditions in the four counties north of the frontier. Zhang Chun reported each matter in turn.

"Ever since the Xiongnu Chanyu installed Lu Fang as Han Emperor, the barbarian incursions have grown ever more frequent. Fortunately, the General left over a thousand troops; these years we have trained locals and organized militia to resist the bandits, but we can only huddle within the Long Walls, relying on the mountains and desert as barriers. Yet without reinforcements, in the worst case, we may have to abandon the lands west of the Yellow River and fall back to defend the two counties around Fuping."

Zhang Chun prostrated himself again before Diwu Lun: "This time I have come to see Your Majesty, firstly to present the census registers and maps and return to the State of Wei; secondly, to beseech Your Majesty, in consideration of old ties, to preserve Fuping."

Listen to his choice of words — "return"! He was directly casting himself as Diwu Lun's old subordinate. One does not strike a smiling face, and Diwu Lun readily agreed: "New Qinzhong is the land where I first rose — how could I ever forget it?"

Though he had no spare troops to manage New Qinzhong now, he at least had to encourage them to hold on.

Diwu Lun then asked with a smile: "Did the Yuanshi Emperor in Longyou ever send anyone to win over Lord Zhang?"

"He did." Zhang Chun knew this could not be concealed and admitted it at once.

"Did he grant Lord Zhang an office and title?"

"He granted me the rank of Grandee, and a marquisate…" Zhang Chun begged forgiveness: "This old man, pressed by Lu Fang and with Yuan She of Beidi refusing to give aid, could only accept the Western Han title, so that at least the south would not face enemies."

"But this old man's decrepit body can attest that the heart of New Qinzhong remains with the King of Wei!"

Diwu Lun looked him in the eye; Zhang Chun dared not meet his gaze. The old man had not deliberately treated the King of Wei as a backup; he truly had no choice. And he was clever enough to see that among the surrounding powers, Diwu Lun was the one most likely to help him, so he had come in person.

Temporarily accepting the Western Han seal and cord was of no consequence; Diwu Lun was magnanimous — as long as he had not surrendered to the barbarians, everything was negotiable.

"Lord Zhang has come at just the right moment. Your ennoblement seal and cord need not be sent by messenger — you can be enfeoffed here on the spot!"

So Diwu Lun clapped his hands and had a document drafted: "Lord Zhang, courtesy name Boren, an elder of New Qinzhong. In former days when I was among the ranks, he aided me in resisting the barbarian raiders. Amid the barbarian dust he has held firm, and has also traveled a thousand li to present the census registers and maps of New Qinzhong's four counties. For his merit, he is restored as Marquis of Fuping, enfeoffed with a thousand households in Fuping."

"May the rivers be as his girdle and Mount Hua as his whetstone; may his state enjoy eternal peace, extending to his descendants!"

In Diwu Lun's new nobility system, a bo rank was equivalent to an Inner Marquis, enfeoffed with a township; the standard for marquis was higher, enfeoffed with a county, and this tier had many gradations, from a thousand households to tens of thousands. Zhang Chun had just barely scraped the tail end.

His old subordinates in New Qinzhong also each received rewards, which Zhang Chun would take back: Xuan Biao, now Zhang Chun's nephew-in-law, though his achievements were not great, had toiled much, and was enfeoffed as a bo and appointed Commandant. Diwu Jiming and a few other company officers whom Diwu Lun had deliberately left there were chosen as viscounts and barons.

New Qinzhong was, in effect, an exclave of the King of Wei on the frontier — a bulwark against the Xiongnu and the Hu-Han forces pressing south, and also a future bridgehead for Diwu Lun's strategic envelopment of the "Western Han" and his designs on Hexi and Longyou. This pie was worth giving.

"Once Guanzhong is stabilized, I will certainly send cavalry to aid New Qinzhong."

For men like Zhang Chun who brought territory with them when they submitted, Diwu Lun was not stingy, directly bestowing a marquisate. Similarly, the de facto controller of Shang Commandery, his third uncle Ma Yuan, was also enfeoffed as "Marquis of Dingyang" — he had brought an entire commandery into the fold and served as Diwu Lun's northern gateway, so his household allotment was three times Zhang Chun's.

After placating Zhang Chun, another man also returned from the east: it was Feng Yan, who had previously been dispatched by Diwu Lun to Henei to carry out "defensive estrangement" among the Northern Han kings and the Greenwood chieftains in Henan, and had achieved initial success.

Feng Yan's title had long been prepared; Diwu Lun drew him over with a smile.

"Master Feng became acquainted with me very early. Last year you came to join me at Yecheng, serving as Master of Records, and helped me ally with Bao Yong and Liu Lin for mutual defense in Hebei. You then followed me into the Pass, drafted the proclamation condemning Wang Mang, persuaded the Northern Army to surrender, and traveled to Longyou, convincing the Wei clan to enthrone Liu Ying as emperor. After the founding of Wei, you were promoted to Minister of Visitors. Now I have divided the land east of Xinfeng and above Hongmen into Shou'an County, and enfeoff you as Marquis of Shou'an, with two thousand households."

Diwu Lun said: "Master Feng, you are no stranger to this place name, are you?"

How could he be? Feng Yan prostrated himself, deeply moved. He had expected to be made a marquis, but had not imagined Diwu Lun would be so thoughtful!

"My late ancestor, General Feng Fengshi, was buried in Shou'an Township after his death. The terrain there is high and open, accessible on all sides, looking south to Mount Li, bordered north by the Jing and Wei rivers, overlooking the Yellow River and Mount Hua to the east, at the sunny side of Dragon Gate, on the road to the Three Jin — a commanding view of a thousand li, with the capital in sight. It is a supremely fine location, and so the tomb was established there."

Feng Yan's eloquence surged forth as he said: "A loyal minister sighs when passing the ruins of his old home; a filial son laments when entering his former chamber. Amid the calamities of a chaotic age, the graves lie overgrown, the spring and autumn offerings neglected, the ancestral tablets in disarray. Whenever I think of my forebears, my heart is filled with sorrow."

"And now Your Majesty has enfeoffed Shou'an to me — it is to allow me to tend my ancestors' tombs!"

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Feng Yan was thoroughly satisfied, and this was also a strategy in Diwu Lun's ennoblement: what pleased meritorious officials most was not merely high rank and rich fiefs, but two other things: one was being enfeoffed in their home region, the other was being granted the land where their ancestors' tombs lay.

"It is only that Weinan is not yet in our army's hands. Once it is recovered, Jingtong may return to fulfill his filial duties, build an ancestral temple, and conduct the sacrifices in full." Diwu Lun had thus turned a matter of empty promises into something Feng Yan accepted wholeheartedly.

He also encouraged Feng Yan: "Chen Ping devised six wondrous stratagems for Emperor Gao and thereby settled the realm. I hope that Master Feng can devise at least five for me."

"By the way, how is the situation in the east?"

Feng Yan had lately been laying the groundwork, following Diwu Lun's thinking: separately probing and investigating the scattered Northern Han and Greenwood Han lords, with considerable results.

He reported: "The Northern Han's King of Zhao, Liu Lin, and King of Guangyang, Liu Jie, are busy assembling the various Liu forces to deal with the roving Copper Horse bandits. The Copper Horse grow ever more powerful; all the rebel bands in Hebei are moving in concert with them, gathering over a hundred thousand men, their momentum rivaling the Red Eyebrows. Pingyuan Commandery in Qing Province, Hejian Commandery in Ji Province, and Bohai in You Province are all ravaged by their banditry."

The very establishment of the Northern Han was partly driven by the pressure on the Hebei Liu clans to unite against the roving bandits; for the moment, they had no leisure to covet Wei Commandery.

Feng Yan had also learned one thing: "The King of Zhending, Liu Yang, is not of one mind with the King of Zhao. After taking over Taiyuan Commandery to the west, he is busy expanding toward Yanmen and Dai Commanderies. This one, I see, has no small ambition either."

The Greenwood side was even more delicate.

"The Greenwood Han's King of Xiangyi, Cheng Dan, is greedy for wealth; the King of Huaiyang, Zhang Ang, is fond of killing; the King of Biyang, Wang Kuang, is a crude man of the wilds with no vision, content to control a single commandery — none are worth mentioning."

"Only the King of Wuyang, Wang Chang, who garrisons Hongnong and the new Hangu Pass, has considerable insight. He refused to accept the gold and silks I sent and distributed them to his subordinates. Recently he has been deploying troops, sending over ten thousand men westward. They have reached Hu County and control Maozin, confronting our forces in Hexi and Hedong."

This was the urgent matter that had brought Feng Yan hurrying back. Diwu Lun frowned: "A fine Wang Chang indeed. Since he could not be won over, he is now determined to help Liu Bosheng oppose me."

Diwu Lun did not regret having spared Wang Chang back then; keeping this Greenwood outlier alive to arouse Gengshi's suspicions might prove more useful.

Feng Yan added: "I only fear that Hedong, newly pacified, may be unsteady in its loyalties."

Diwu Lun was not worried: "Hedong has just suffered the depredations of the 'royal army' and is tearfully grateful for our army's deliverance. How could they ever allow the Greenwood bandits, whose reputation is no better, to cross their borders?"

"At most, Wang Chang is tying down our forces for Liu Bosheng. Even if he dares to attack, we have left over ten thousand troops in Hexi and Hedong, garrisoned by Dou Rong and others — there is no cause for concern."

What did worry him? The west. Their own defenses were extremely thin in Youfufeng, which bordered the Longyou forces. If Liu Bosheng truly intended to strike Weibei, crossing the Wei there would be simplest.

Liu Bosheng's vanguard was indeed advancing westward — this might be a feint to the east while striking west.

Diwu Lun smiled: "Where there is weakness, make a show of strength; where there is strength, make a show of weakness. Why not play along with their intent?"

……

Feng Jingtong, the marquis seal tucked against his chest, was thoroughly satisfied. Stepping outside, he ran into Ren Guang, who had come to report on business. A glance at the other man's waist — a marquis seal hung there too. Feng cupped his hands in greeting: "Superintendent of Grain."

"Chamberlain Feng!" Ren Guang bowed from the waist, dipping even lower than Feng Yan had.

Feng Yan deliberately slapped his own forehead. "From now on, perhaps we should address one another by noble rank."

"I wonder what title the Superintendent received…"

"A marquisate of fifteen hundred households — I dare not compare myself with Chamberlain Feng." Ren Guang remained as modest as ever. He truly had no outstanding battle merit, only labor. He had always operated on interior lines near the Guanzhong region; the role he played was far inferior to Xiao He's back in the day. He had even assumed he would only manage a countship. It was Diwu Lun who had given him a boost.

Seeing that Feng Yan was keenly interested in what the others had been enfeoffed as, Ren Guang deliberately hesitated a moment before quietly telling him, one by one.

Of the five ranks of the State of Wei, the dukedom remained vacant — not a single man had received it.

And the sole marquis of ten thousand households was Diwu Ba, who refused to be a grandee-emeritus. Everyone understood this. The title also followed his own wish: "Marquis of Ten Thousand Li." Diwu Lun had not dared to confer it, but instead petitioned it upon him.

As for the fief, Diwu Ba would not accept one under actual control either. He actually had Diwu Lun enfeoff him with the Di clans' true old home — the native place of the three Tian Heng brothers, Di County in Qiansheng Commandery, far away in Qing Province!

"This gesture is to ensure the Di clans never forget where they first came from."

Diwu Ba already knew his grandson's ambition, and he believed that Diwu Lun would eventually fight his way east! Recently there had even been rumors that the King of Wei intended to restore his original surname, but that was still back-channel talk, unconfirmed.

Next down were four men in the five-thousand-household tier: Ma Yuan — most of the army's colonels had come from under Ma Yuan's command; he was their old superior. He had been there for the pioneering days in New Qinzhong, for drilling the troops in Wei Commandery, for the storming of Wu'an County and the routing of Chi Zhaoping — every battle. Though he had not accompanied the army into Guanzhong, his single-strike capture of Henei had also played a critical role.

Wan Xiu and Geng Yan were slightly next in precedence, both enfeoffed with mid-tier counties, their household counts exactly identical. Under Diwu Lun's micromanagement, in the Guanzhong campaign and the Hedong operation, Wan Xiu and Geng Yan had been deliberately allowed to achieve roughly equal merit. The balancing act was very well done.

And Geng Chun, as the ballast stone stabilizing the east, could not be shortchanged either. But he truly had not much battle merit, so he was placed next again — after all, Diwu Lun had also given him the Left Chancellor post.

Further down, the four-thousand-household tier was actually left entirely vacant. The three-thousand-household tier held Wang Yuan, Ma Yuan, and other key figures to be placated.

The two-thousand-household tier held Jing Dan, Dou Rong, Feng Yan, Diqi Biao, and others.

Those above one thousand households included Ren Guang, Zheng Tong, Diba Jiao, Wang Long, Song Hong, Shi Chen, and others. Adding Zhang Chun, who had arrived later, the marquises numbered nineteen in all. Zheng Tong had never imagined this day would come; it was simply that his two battles at Dragon Head Canal and the river crossing had been too eye-catching, and Diwu Lun had made him an exemplar in the army.

The Commandant of Justice, Peng Chong, however, had fared rather miserably. Having only the single merit of taking Xinfeng, and having once suffered a major defeat at Mount Hua, he had only scraped a countship, ranked alongside surrendered generals like Liang Qiuci.

The remaining counts, viscounts, and barons numbered several dozen — too many to list one by one. They were mainly powerful families from north of the Wei River, Diwu Lun's own clansmen, and officers and clerks in the army with minor merit. Diwu Lun was also planning a military-merit rank system different from those of Qin and Han, so that those whose merit fell short of the five noble ranks could still enjoy the pleasure of advancement.

After hearing all this, Feng Yan first thought that Jing Dan, a latecomer, had overtaken him — he had not seen Jing Dan achieve any particular merit, so how was his enfiefment several hundred households larger than his own? And Diwu Lun relied on him so heavily.

When he further learned that Diqi Biao was in the same tier, with the same enfiefment count, Feng Yan's heart was instantly filled with great displeasure. Taking Ren Guang as one of his own, he could not help but blurt out:

"I am to be ranked alongside a crude boor like Diqi Biao?"

And Ren Guang, suppressing a smile, could not help recalling that on the very day of the enfiefments, Diqi Biao — who had never figured out his own standing and believed himself "equal in merit to Geng Yan" — had also complained in public:

"Enfiefment is a fine thing, but I — I am to be ranked alongside a glib-tongued fellow like Feng Yan!?"

……

PS: Third chapter at 23:00.