Chapter 348: Closing the Gates for Good

The streams flow down from Longtou, their murmur a sound of weeping. Gazing far toward the Qin plains, the heart and liver are torn asunder.

This, perhaps, was the feeling in the hearts of Wei Cui, Niu Han, and the sons of the Six Commanderies as they stood atop the Long slopes and looked back at Guanzhong, shrouded in wind and snow.

They had lost the battle of Zhouyuan in deeply frustrating fashion. Apart from a little over four thousand cavalry who managed to retreat by relying on their mounts' speed, over ten thousand retainers from the sixteen great families, along with the armed forces of the Right Fufeng magnates, were all abandoned at the foot of Mount Qi, to be either slaughtered or captured by the Wei army.

After this defeat, holding Chencang was no longer possible. The Long army immediately marched northwest, reaching Qian County, where they joined forces with Yang Guang, the great magnate of Longxi who had been besieging Geng Yan. Though the Long army burned with the desire to take Qian County and kill the chief author of all evils, Geng Bozhao, to vent their rage, time would not wait. The Wei vanguard was slowly pushing in their direction, and the Long army had no choice but to retreat resentfully, once again crossing the treacherous Long slopes.

The Long Pass road in deep winter was never meant for marching troops. The mountain cold was bitter beyond endurance, and the paths were slick with snow and ice; no one knew how many men and horses fell to their deaths. The slope twisted in nine switchbacks, and crossing it took a full seven days. When they counted heads afterward — good heavens — of the four or five thousand horses they had left, barely half remained now, and many men had frozen or fallen sick and died.

Wei Cui, so ill and enraged that he could no longer ride a horse and had to be carried over, learned of this and could only beat his chest and weep: "I led twenty thousand sons of this land eastward. Now fewer than half return. I truly have no face left to see the elders of the Six Commanderies again!"

His hair, which had still held many black strands, turned completely white after this campaign, and he was utterly haggard.

Fortunately, what awaited them upon reaching Long Pass was steaming hot millet porridge. Wei Ao, as if he had long foreseen his uncle's defeat, had come in person to receive them. As he came out to meet them now, he did not block Wei Cui's path, nor did he, in the manner of the King of Chu driving Ziyu to his death, jab at him with: "If Uncle enters, what of the elders of Tianshui and Longxi?"

Instead, Wei Ao personally supported his old uncle, sighing with deep emotion.

"Uncle, after your nephew hurried back to Longyou, I dispatched troops and sent generals, holding the southern Mount Qi line so that the Shu army could not enter. I also steadied the hearts of the sixteen families. I had meant to boil meat and slaughter sheep, waiting for Uncle's great victory — I never imagined..."

He began to heap the blame upon himself: "It is all your nephew's fault. Had I not returned, but stayed in Right Fufeng to assist Uncle, perhaps..."

These words, on the surface filial and fraternal, were in truth barbed. But now, Wei Cui had no face to curse Wei Ao for cowardice. Thinking of the slap he had dealt him earlier, his face burned as if on fire. He could only clutch his nephew's hand and say:

"Jimeng, the reason this old man did not follow Li Guang's example and cut his own throat was to bring the sons of this land home. Now that I am back in Longyou, this old man can rest at ease."

Wei Cui felt he might not last until they reached their home county of Chengji, and his words grew mournful: "It is only that this campaign was lost too wretchedly. Our losses exceed half. Of the two thousand sons of good families, at least a quarter fell on the battlefield."

Wei Cui, in truth, did not much regret the abandoned retainers. Lowly armed men could be conscripted from the commoners again at any time. But every son of a good family lost was one man fewer, never to be replaced.

Had they won, their sacrifice would have had value. But now they had lost Right Fufeng and blocked the road to contending for the realm. This blockage in his heart — at the thought of it, rage assailed his vitals, and he spat out a mouthful of old blood!

"Avenge this." Wei Cui gripped Wei Ao's hand. "Do not forget the shame of this battle!"

Do you imagine yourself Helü, and me Fuchai? Wei Ao thought dismissively, but his lips answered: "Your nephew shall never forget this humiliation!"

This was tantamount to formally handing the great authority of the Wei clan chieftaincy to his nephew. Wei Ao stood in the wind and snow before the pass, his manner sincere and generous, clasping his hands in salute to every returning son of the Six Commanderies, comforting them, encouraging them. Though he had been merely his uncle's puppet in the past, he had always been able to face his fellow countrymen in the image of an honest, filial, and fraternal Grand Marshal and Grand General.

"This battle — Western Han lost."

Wei Ao watched the filthy Han banners being dragged along by the sons of the Six Commanderies. After the farce of so many Hans rising up, the banner of the Great Han seemed to have lost much of its fragrance. With this battle over, the Han Emperor had been overshadowed by the King of Wei and had lost his chance to contend for the realm.

"This battle — Longyou lost."

Nearly five hundred sons of good families had died in battle or of illness, horse losses reached as many as ten thousand head, and the army had been sharply reduced by over ten thousand men. Longyou and Hexi could not compare to Guanzhong; the population was sparse. Nominally, there were still eight commanderies, but their combined population did not exceed a million. Excluding the old, weak, women, and children, the able-bodied men of age numbered only two hundred thousand — they could not withstand such attrition.

"But the Wei clan — did not lose."

Wei Ao, shrewd and quick, had brought the greater part of the Wei clan troops back early, stopping the losses in time. Meanwhile, the sixteen families of Tianshui and Longxi had suffered no small damage and had been weakened to a certain degree — they would be easier to control in the future.

"And I, in particular — have won!"

Wei Ao looked at Wei Cui, who was being carried into Long Pass, barely clinging to life. Even if the old uncle could hold on a few more years, after this great defeat, he would be resented by the people of Long, nearly every household of which was in mourning. He would never again gain their trust.

But Wei Ao, having returned to Longyou and steadied the people's hearts, claimed to have blocked the Shu army at Mount Qi, treating this as his own credential and victory. He needed to gather the remnant troops and build an army loyal to himself.

It was time to make the Longyou magnates, who, like his uncle, yearned day and night to enter Chang'an and become the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers who managed the realm, abandon their delusions and begin honestly following his own plans.

To let the realm return to the Warring States era, to maintain this fractured and divided situation — for Wei Ao, who harbored no great political ambitions, this was enough.

"What the people of Longyou need henceforth is no longer a 'Western Han' court that unifies the realm, contends for legitimacy, and sends batch after batch of the Six Commanderies' sons east to die in battle."

Wei Ao ordered the great gates of Long Pass to be shut, intending to close them to the east forever. "What they need is, at the right moment, to send Liu Ying away, and to coexist through negotiation with Diwu Lun and Gongsun Shu — a Wei King of the Wei clan, holding a corner of the land, protecting the borders and keeping the people at peace!"

Just as Wei Ao was planning to change Longyou's strategy and close both Long Pass and Xiao Pass to defend their territory, Diwu Lun, having already taken Right Fufeng and arrived at Chencang City, had likewise not the slightest interest in continuing westward.

A few days earlier, when the battle-scarred Geng Yan came to pay his respects and then requested orders to pursue the Long troops, Diwu Lun had only laughed:

"Bozhao is fierce and brave. You broke out of the encirclement, turned defense into offense, and leaped forward to the Qian River. With seven hundred men crossing hundreds of li of mountains and rivers, you threw the Long army's arrangements into chaos and sent the enemy fleeing in panic. Only thus did we have today's great victory."

"The triumph at Zhouyuan began at the Qian River. In this campaign, General, your merit can rank alongside that of Sunqing and Junyou. Rest for a full month and let your wounds heal. There is no need to rush into battle again."

After this campaign, aside from Jing Dan, who had joined the cause a bit late and whose household fiefs had just barely broken the four-thousand mark, the fiefs of Geng and Wan were also catching up to Ma Yuan, nearly neck and neck. Among them, Diwu Lun had frequently given Wan Xiu a helping hand, lest he fall behind and unbalance the army, while he had quietly held Geng Yan back a little, to keep him from getting too cocky.

But judging the matter on its own terms, Jing Dan and Wan Xiu had indeed commanded superbly at the Battle of Zhouyuan. The left and right wings coordinated perfectly, giving the Longyou cavalry not a single opening. Combined with the earlier great victory at Tongyuan, Jing Dan's star was, for a time, without rival. Diwu Lun therefore took the natural course and, right there in Chencang City, conferred upon Jing Dan a formal general's title: "General of the Van."

The State of Wei's system of governance was a patchwork monstrosity stitched together from the Qin, Han, and Xin dynasties. Although Diwu Lun had not established an inner court, he had retained the Han system of ranked and miscellaneous generals. After all, no one knew how long the chaos would last, and it was common for the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers to go out on campaign.

But Diwu Lun also deliberately left the supreme title of "Grand General" vacant, only appointing Ma Yuan as "General of Agile Cavalry," second in rank; Geng Yan as "General of Chariots and Cavalry," third; and Wan Xiu as "General of the Guard," fourth.

Now, with Jing Dan brought into the fold as well, the State of Wei had four ranked generals. In the future, they could perfectly well divide into four war zones, each commanding an army on one front — as their territory expanded, this would be unavoidable.

For example, with the Long troops retreating west, Right Fufeng had fallen completely into Diwu Lun's hands. This commandery stretched from north of the Qinling range to Mount Qi and Yong, flanking both banks of the Wei River — a thousand li of fertile land, the very plains of Qin. It was the heart and spine of Guanzhong, the right-hand support of Chang'an.

A place so vital naturally required a general to be stationed there. Temporarily residing in the Qinian Palace, where the First Emperor of Qin had once performed his capping ceremony, Diwu Lun let his gaze wander back and forth between two names. He summoned each man separately and questioned them on their strategies and views for the future.

The two generals' answers were most interesting, each representing his own character and attitude.

Geng Yan said simply: "In Right Fufeng, train troops and store grain. Cross the Long slopes to the west, or enter the Baoxie road to the south, and we can pacify Long and Han."

Wan Xiu's reply was far more cautious: "Right Fufeng, with Long Pass blocking the Wei clan to the west and Yimen Pass holding the Greenwood to the south, is Your Majesty's western gateway."

Running a state is somewhat like running a company; strategy must consider investment and return. Longyou was indeed an excellent source of soldiers, and the Hexi horses were not bad either, but the sons of the Six Commanderies were rather stubborn and could not possibly swear immediate loyalty to Diwu Lun. As for warhorse resources, Diwu Lun still had options like Shang Commandery, Xihe, and New Qinzhong.

On the other hand, Longyou was perilous and difficult to attack. The sons of the Six Commanderies might have been beaten into a wretched retreat when they attacked Diwu Lun, but if they fought on their home ground, holding fast with their strategic barriers, seizing the territory would cost a great deal of manpower and time. Rather than grinding his main force down there, wouldn't it be far sweeter to march east and seize the rich lands of Guandong and Hebei?

After losing Right Fufeng, Longyou's strength had been severely damaged, making it very hard for them to strike east. Both sides could share the barrier of the Long Mountains. Let them be shut in the west for a few years of self-imposed isolation first!

And so Diwu Lun made his decision.

"Let General of the Guard Wan Xiu take eight thousand troops to garrison Right Fufeng!"

Diwu Lun handed the military authority of Right Fufeng to Wan Xiu, and encouraged this Confucian knight-errant who had once so frightened him that he had circled around his chariot to avoid him: "You, sir, are my rear guard!"

Wan Xiu was steady and prudent. Upon receiving his orders, he immediately dispatched troops to hold Qian County, guarding against another Long incursion east, and also sent men to San Pass southwest of Chencang to control the San Pass road. The mouth of the Xie Valley south of Mei County was also garrisoned — this was the most frequently traveled route north from Hanzhong.

"With this, it is not only Yao Pass in the southeast, Tong Pass due east, the Long Mountains in the west, and San Pass, Xie Valley, and the Ziwu Valley mouth in the south..."

When Diwu Lun had withdrawn from Chang'an back then, he had said: "Guanzhong, Guanzhong — with the passes, there is a center. Without the passes, it is 'off-center'!"

And now, after half a year of effort, Guanzhong's great gates, small gates, side gates, and hidden gates had all been shut by him, one after another.

"Where is still missing?"

Diwu Lun turned his gaze to the north. Guanzhong's terrain faced south and looked north; its northern gateway stood wide open. The current situation closely resembled the early Han. Without the Great Wall and the border commanderies for protection, the cold winds from the steppe could blow straight down to the Wei Bridge in one breath! Diwu Lun had no desire to one day see beacon fires from the Ganquan Palace.

Since he did not want a gate, the only option was to unleash the hounds and hawks, to keep the hungry wolves beyond the courtyard, so that the home front could develop in peace.

General of Chariots and Cavalry Geng Yan need not be disappointed at missing out on the military authority of Right Fufeng — Diwu Lun had long since arranged a posting for him that would let him play to his strengths.

That was to transfer Geng Yan back to Niyang and the other counties, to gather troops, fodder the horses and sharpen the weapons, and prepare for the coming spring, when they would seize Beidi Commandery and link Guanzhong with New Qinzhong into one continuous territory. This would also allow them to share the two roads into Long — Xiao Pass and Huizhong — with Longyou, gaining a geographical advantage and sealing the great northwestern gate completely.

Diwu Lun had his own calculations. Speaking with earnest gravity, he opened his heart to Geng Yan: "While I am locked in bitter war with the Western Han and the Green Han, the Hu–Han Lu Fang in the north, with the aid of the Xiongnu Chanyu, has united the commanderies of Wuyuan, Shuofang, Dingxiang, and Yunzhong, and now commands tens of thousands of troops."

He ground his teeth. "This Lu Fang — in name an Emperor of Han, in truth a traitor to the Han!"

"Since last autumn, Lu Fang has been leading the northern barbarians south on ever more frequent raids. They constantly harass our Xihe Commandery, have even pushed deep to the borders of Shang Commandery, and New Qinzhong, too, suffers repeated barbarian incursions. The two counties west of the Yellow River are on the verge of being abandoned."

While the civil war here rages on, we cannot allow a puppet emperor of the barbarians to grow into a real power!

Geng Yan inclined his head. "The distant tribes must not plot against the heartland; the barbarians must not throw the civilized realm into chaos. Your Majesty's concern is entirely justified!"

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Though born in Guanzhong, he had grown up in Shanggu and had fought the Xiongnu and the Wuhuan before. He understood Diwu Lun's worry very well.

Diwu Lun said, "Therefore, in the northern commanderies of Bing Province, I must have a general who can hold a whole front — one who will block the northern stench of blood and mutton from the Central Plains! And while he is at it, he can use the heroes and stalwarts of Bing Province as a foundation to train a true cavalry force!"

With those words, he had insulted the Surpassing Cavalry yet again.

In the battle at Zhouyuan, watching the sons of good families on the opposing side charge and rampage at will, Diwu Lun had felt envy too. If he had a force like that in his hands, his strategic and tactical options would multiply greatly.

But unlike infantry, cavalry places very high demands on both rider and horse. Only the frontier commanderies possess such advantages of terrain and manpower.

Do young men not have boundless energy and strength to spare? Let them pour it out on the frontiers of the motherland, across these great rivers and mountains!

Geng Yan accepted the charge gladly. "Give me but a year or half a year, and I shall train for Your Majesty a 'Bing Province Cavalry'! I shall make the barbarians dare not drive their horses south to graze, and make their warriors dare not bend their bows to voice their grievances!"

……

PS: Chapter 3 at 23:00.