Chapter 358: Good News

The Governor of Xindu Commandery was named Li Zhong, a man in his forties and a native of Donglai in Qing Province. He had begun his career as a Palace Gentleman, though twenty years earlier than Diwu Lun, Geng Chun, and the rest. Under Wang Mang he had served as "Chief of Xinbo," and when the Mang dynasty collapsed, he naturally pledged allegiance to the Gengshi Emperor Liu Ziyu and was appointed Governor of Xindu Commandery by the King of Zhao.

Though Li Zhong had never gone to Xiangguo in person to pay his respects to Liu Ziyu, his envoys had seen him. When the Bronze Horse forces had pulled back somewhat and the people outside the city were brought within the walls, he was utterly astounded.

"It really is His Majesty!"

Although during the days he was besieged by the Bronze Horse, Li Zhong had cursed Liu Ziyu and the King of Zhao for sending no troops to his rescue, now that the Emperor had actually come, it only left him more shocked and suspicious, and he had no choice but to perform the rites of audience.

"Could it be that Your Majesty has... come on a personal campaign?"

Wang Lang stuck to his old routine, recounting how the King of Zhao, Liu Lin, had monopolized power and coerced the sovereign, and how the King of Zhending intended to set himself up independently. He sighed and said, "All the ministers and high officials of the court eat the grain of Han, yet not one could save the realm from calamity. I have long known that Governor Li's late father served long as a Han minister, and that you yourself are renowned for your love of ritual and proper conduct — a loyal and good man. Since my accession, Xindu alone has never been remiss in its tribute and taxes. I have made this special imperial tour here, first to deliberate on great affairs with you, and second to relieve you from the Bronze Horse siege."

Li Zhong found it very strange — Liu Ziyu had brought no army with him, so how could he lift the siege? "I do not know how Your Majesty intends to lift the siege of Xindu."

Wang Lang laughed. "The Bronze Horse were originally good, honest common folk, driven to revolt by Wang Mang. It was entirely the King of Zhao's inept pacification efforts that turned them into a great scourge. Yesterday I drove a light carriage straight into the Bronze Horse camp and arranged to meet their great chieftains. I enumerated their crimes and reasoned with them. They have now heeded my commands and lifted the siege."

What? The Bronze Horse bandits could be reasoned with? Li Zhong came from a great clan himself and could not fathom it, but Wang Lang's next words were even more baffling.

He actually said, "Since the Bronze Horse and Xindu are now one family, there is no need to keep attacking each other. What they lack is grain. If Xindu will only provide twenty thousand shi of grain, the Bronze Horse will withdraw on their own. In this way, the ten thousand households of common folk and all the powerful families within the city walls can be preserved."

Li Zhong's expression flickered between dark and bright. Twenty thousand shi of grain — the Xindu granaries did not hold enough; they would have to levy grain from the great families, but if they scraped it together, it could be found. Yet for enemies who moments ago had been screaming for blood to suddenly turn swords into ploughshares, and to have to send grain out to them — that was hard for him to accept.

As he hesitated, Wang Lang, skilled at reading faces, perceived Li Zhong's thoughts and laughed. "In the time of Emperor Zhao of Han, when the 'Heir-Apparent Wei' came knocking at the northern gate, the Capital Intendant Jun Buyi declared him an impostor, had him seized, and executed him. Does the Governor perhaps wish to follow that example?"

These words gave Li Zhong a great start — he really had been entertaining just such a notion. How could this Emperor speak so bluntly! But Wang Lang shook his head. "Even if Governor Li truly committed regicide, could that settle the hearts of the soldiers and people in the city? Could it lift the Bronze Horse siege?"

It truly could not. Judging by the situation, there was no chance of reinforcements from Zhending or the King of Zhao either. How long could they hold out? Whether Xindu could be preserved really did depend on this Liu Ziyu's mediation.

"Your servant would not dare." Li Zhong prostrated himself. "I merely felt that Your Majesty's action was far too reckless."

Wang Lang, however, laughed. "May I ask if Governor Li knows from what station the Exalted Emperor arose, and how he founded his enterprise?"

Li Zhong of course knew. "The Exalted Emperor rose from Precinct Chief of Sishang. Raising a three-chi sword, he slew the serpent and raised the banner of righteousness, roving across the four seas. In three years he toppled Qin, in five he destroyed Chu, and thus won the realm, establishing a foundation of two hundred years."

Wang Lang shook his head and sighed. "In my youth I saw only the traitor Mang usurp the throne and the House of Han perish. Now I am controlled by the King of Zhao, who will not even permit me to have heirs. When I reflect on the deeds of my ancestors, I often wring my hands. That the forefathers were such heroes, and the descendants so cowardly — is that not lamentable!"

"Had I remained forever cloistered in Xiangguo, controlled by the various kings, how would I have differed from Emperor Ping under Wang Mang's manipulation? A false Son of Heaven! I must emulate the Exalted Emperor's boldness of spirit, stride unconstrained through the world, and be a true Son of Heaven!"

In Wang Lang's view, even if he, the Bronze Horse, and Li Zhong were merely using one another, it was still better than being a one-sided puppet.

With these words, this fake Liu actually began to sound somewhat like a true descendant of Liu Bang. He merely laughed.

"Governor Li, would you be willing to serve as my Chancellor?"

"The grain carts from Xindu are being sent out one after another."

"This Liu Ziyu really wasn't lying."

Having withdrawn their troops to a spot a little over ten li outside Xindu city, and seeing that Liu Ziyu's words were proving true, the three great Bronze Horse chieftains — Dongshan Huangtu, Shanghuaikuang, and Sun Deng — looked at one another, and all broke into smiles.

They were no longer ordinary bandit chiefs now. Liu Ziyu had been exceedingly generous, making the three of them the "Three Excellencies" on the spot.

Dongshan Huangtu was Grand Marshal, Sun Deng was Grand Minister of Works, Shanghuaikuang was Grand Chancellor — the seals and cords would be carved later, the official robes distributed in due course. And that Wulou bandit Zhang Wen was made Imperial Counselor.

Having gained grain without a desperate battle, the Bronze Horse army was thoroughly delighted. But Sun Deng had other thoughts and said quietly to the other two, "Elder brothers, are we truly going to accept these official titles and obey Liu Ziyu's orders?"

"What else would we do?"

As the only one among the three with a single-character given name, Sun Deng had been a small landholder before joining the band and had some learning. He said, "I have heard that ever since Wang Mang's downfall, many Han dynasties have sprung up all at once across the realm — Western Han, Greenwood Han, Barbarian Han, and this Northern Han. There are six or seven who have proclaimed themselves emperor. Half a year ago you would still often hear scholars saying 'The Han shall rise again,' but now, the way I see it, this Han isn't so precious anymore."

He egged on Dongshan Huangtu. "We have already seized several commanderies and command over a hundred thousand men. Why can't we raise up Chieftain Dongshan to be the emperor!"

Though taking turns as emperor was a fine thing, did they have the stature for it? Dongshan Huangtu scratched his bald head and waved his hands repeatedly. "If anyone is to do it, let Chieftain Sun do it. I can't even write my own name — how could I take the role?"

But Sun Deng knew that if he dared to accept, within a few days he would likely be murdered by the other two.

The three men were allies from different factions, not like the Red Eyebrows, who all followed the orders of Elder Fan. None could dominate the others, and they merely spent a long while politely deferring to one another, all understanding that the time was not yet right to establish their own imperial title — it was still more convenient to find a puppet.

Shanghuaikuang said darkly, "If you ask me, for now it's still better to follow the Greenwood example and prop up someone surnamed Liu as emperor. We do need a banner to rally under, but even if we set one up, it can't be Liu Ziyu — he's far too sharp and clever!"

This Liu Ziyu was indeed uncanny; after making one circuit through the Bronze Horse camp, quite a few men genuinely believed he was the true Son of Heaven. If this went on, how could it be tolerated? Any random Liu plucked from Hebei would be easier to control than him.

"Since the grain from Xindu is in hand, let the men eat their fill for a few meals. When the city's defenses slacken, we'll strike back, slaughter the city, and kill Liu Ziyu too."

"Even in chaotic times, one must mind one's reputation for trustworthiness," Dongshan Huangtu disagreed. "Even if we mean to kill Liu Ziyu, now is not the time."

He had tasted the sweetness of this transaction and discovered that having Liu Ziyu take the field was indeed far easier than the Bronze Horse throwing lives away against city walls with crude siege equipment. If they could further use this emperor to persuade a few commanderies and county seats to surrender, they would have profited handsomely.

"When the time comes, killing him won't be too late!" Dongshan Huangtu laughed. "We've killed powerful magnates, we've killed Marquises — we just don't know what killing an emperor tastes like."

This time, however, Wang Lang did not deliver himself into their hands. He merely sent Du Wei back and forth between Xindu and the Bronze Horse to relay messages. "The Son of Heaven has already recruited over ten thousand troops in Xindu, with fine armor and sharp weapons. In a few days he will issue a proclamation denouncing the King of Zhao's crimes. The commanderies of Hebei can be settled by proclamation alone. He only hopes that the Grand Marshal, the Grand Chancellor, and the Grand Minister of Works will lead their troops at the front to take them over."

This was the swindler's old path. Wang Lang had connived his way into the righteous cause of "Son of Heaven" in Zhao territory, using that status to blackmail the Bronze Horse so they could not easily strike and enter Xindu. Then he used the Bronze Horse's might to coerce Li Zhong into temporary cooperation. And now, he was using Xindu to check the Bronze Horse, surviving in the cracks between the various powers.

That Liu Ziyu would not come out disappointed the three Bronze Horse chieftains somewhat, but the moment they heard they could take over wealthy commanderies and counties under Liu Ziyu's name, they perked up again. For now, relying on Liu Ziyu's banner and proclamations, they would swindle where they could, bypass where they could not — they were bound to gain some further advantage.

So they exchanged glances, and the three rustic Excellencies made a show of cupping their fists. "We wonder where His Majesty wishes us to go and take over?"

Du Wei reported Wang Lang's next target — which was also Geng Chun's old home...

"West of Xindu: the seat of Hecheng Commandery, Songzi County!"

Although Geng Chun's own view of the true situation in Hebei was like watching flowers through a mist, and he had overlooked the anomaly that was Wang Lang, after reading the letter Geng Chun had sent from a thousand li away, Diwu Lun could not help but laugh.

"Hebei — truly a place of treacherous waves and strange mists."

Diwu Lun had thought that over the past half year, the three-way struggle in Guanzhong between Wei, the Greenwood, and Long had been lively enough, but Hebei was even more so — utter chaos, with factions large and small numbering in the double digits.

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Now rumors about Liu Ziyu's whereabouts were all contradictory, but a rupture between Zhending and the King of Zhao was only a matter of days. When Heaven offers and you refuse, you will suffer the consequences!

Diwu Lun had given Geng Chun full authority to act in Wei territory. Geng Chun had surely already begun to move. Diwu Lun immediately drafted an edict ordering Geng Chun to go north and coordinate with the King of Zhending to strike Zhao.

If Ma Yuan was willing, he could stage a bitter-flesh ruse with Geng Chun, so that the foolish King of Zhending would trust his own nephew without suspicion.

"But we can't let the King of Zhao collapse too quickly. The Wei commandery troops must make a show of effort without real results, so that their fight drags on for months."

Diwu Lun opened the calendar he had specially commissioned. It was made of "heti" — which was, in fact, a rather primitive paper, a by-product of the silk-and-hemp workshop. It was divided into twelve pages, bound with fine thread and hung on the wall. Each page had thirty squares drawn on it, marked with dates and the twenty-four solar terms.

It was based on the "Santong Calendar" devised by Liu Xin, the most accurate calendar at present. Diwu Lun had a strong sense of time and liked to flip through the pages one by one, marking certain dates with a stroke of cinnabar as the days for undertaking great affairs.

It was now the second month. The activity of returning the capital to Chang'an had concluded, and all trades within the city awaited revival. The Waking of Insects had passed, the Spring Equinox not yet arrived. In Guanzhong, the banks were green with willows, orioles flew and grasses grew tall, the wheat was jointing, peach blossoms blazed red and plum blossoms white to greet the spring's yellow buds. The spring plowing was proceeding in good order and would be finished in another half month.

"Other regimes drink poison to quench their thirst, but I must consider how the common folk live their lives. Let Hebei fall into chaos on its own for now. Once the third month arrives, we will dispatch troops on two fronts."

The northern route was Geng Yan's. He had already transferred part of the horse stock from Shang Commandery and was ordered to attack Beidi Commandery to open a link with Xin Qinzhong. That had long been settled and would not be delayed by events in Hebei.

The eastern route was also about to open. Diwu Lun had already chosen a commander for that front.

The Imperial Counselor and Front General Jing Dan, during an audience, analyzed the situation with Diwu Lun: "In my view, there is no need to rush into Hebei. We should first take Taiyuan and Shangdang."

Jing Dan said: "Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Hedong are the ancient lands of Jin. Looking across the realm, apart from Guanzhong, the terrain of Jin is the most complete and defensible. To the east, the Taihang Mountains form its screen. To the west, the Great River serves as its sash. To the north, the great desert and the Yin Mountains are its outer shelter, while Gouzhu and Yanmen are its inner strongholds. To the south, Mount Dizhu, Zhongtiao, Wangwu, and other peaks rise staggered along the river. The Fen and the Hui converge on the right; the Zhang and the Qin enfold the left. The plains among the mountains can be irrigated, tribute grain can be transported through, and the salt ponds can amass wealth."

He had gone to Shanggu to serve as an official, and when traveling north and back south, he had personally traversed this route: "After Duke Xiao, Qin gathered the strength of six generations before it could fully seize the lands of Anyi, Shangdang, and Jinyang. After that, Zhao could never recover."

"When Emperor Gao of Han campaigned east, he also took Taiyuan and Shangdang first. The Marquis of Huaiyin marched east from Tianjing, seized Huguan and Jingxing, and pressed eastward with the momentum of water pouring from a rooftop. After the battle at the river's back, Yan and Zhao collapsed at the mere rumor of his approach."

What was more, Shangdang sat right on the throat between Hedong, Henei, and the Wei lands. Until it was removed, one could never feel entirely secure.

And if they could seize Taiyuan and then push north through Yanmen and Dai Commandery, they could link up with Jing Dan's old master, Geng Kuang of Shanggu. If the Youzhou shock cavalry could march south in full force, the two prongs would envelop Hebei. Never mind its current fragmentation — even if Northern Han were a unified regime, it would likely struggle to hold out for more than a few months.

Diwu Lun nodded. "Then in your view, Sir Sun, should we take Shangdang first, or Taiyuan?"

For the better part of the past year, they had been fighting within Guanzhong — interior-line operations, never straying beyond a few hundred li. But from now on, it would largely be exterior-line operations, and the pressure of supply and troop numbers would greatly increase. Diwu Lun liked to eat his broad beans one at a time, to avoid choking.

Jing Dan proposed: "We could take Shangdang first, then dispatch troops from Xihe and Hedong to envelop Taiyuan from three sides — west, south, and southeast."

That was the plan before the autumn harvest. Diwu Lun ordered Jing Dan to transfer twenty thousand troops to Hedong, and also instructed the Governor of Hedong, Dou Rong, to arrange grain, fodder, and other provisions. In these matters, Dou the Duke of Zhou was still an expert.

Perhaps Diwu Lun's fortunes were turning. Around the spring equinox, good news truly came one after another, in an unbroken stream…

As it happened, Huang Chang and Zhang Yu, the two currently in charge of intelligence, came in haste to inform Diwu Lun of something.

"Word has come from our agents in Hanzhong: Feng Yan, Feng Jingtong, was captured by the Greenwood men on his way back from Shu!"