Chapter 360: Prince of Wu Xiu

In the middle of the second month of the second year of Gengshi, at Wancheng in Nanyang, capital of the Greenwood Han.

The Prince of Xiping, Li Tong, emerged from his audience with a somber expression, though he did not openly show his displeasure. A minister walking with him muttered cautiously:

"That was not His Majesty's voice just now."

"Most likely he is drunk again and cannot receive us, so he ordered a Palace Attendant to sit behind the curtain and answer in his stead."

These words grated painfully on Li Tong's ears. Such incidents had happened more than once or twice. Liu Xuan was deeply devoted to pleasure; the Gengshi regime had been established barely a year, and he had already filled his rear palace with seventy-two consorts, drinking and making merry with the women in the inner courts day and night. He had even demanded that the Privy Treasurer divert a portion of the army provisions bound for Wu Pass to brew liquor.

A thousand piculs of grain less would not starve the frontline soldiers to death, but the Gengshi Emperor would be plunged into melancholy — a life with beauty but without wine was, after all, missing a certain savor.

The ministers were deeply dissatisfied, and once they left the palace they continued to murmur: "His Majesty dotes most on Lady Zhao and Lady Han. Both ladies are exceedingly fond of drink. Whenever they attend His Majesty at a banquet and see us coming to report affairs, they often rage: 'His Majesty and I are drinking together in high delight — why must you choose precisely this moment to come and report?'"

"I have encountered it too. Lady Han is strong; she rose and smashed the writing desk with her fists..."

"Yet His Majesty only watched the spectacle with a smile and did nothing to rein her in. This must count as the rear palace meddling in governance."

"A minor official once admonished His Majesty not to be so dissolute. His Majesty flew into a rage, drew his sword and struck him down. He has already killed two men — who still dares to remonstrate?"

Incident after incident, matter after matter — Liu Xuan had lost himself in wine and lust. Li Tong felt deeply disillusioned and thought to himself: "Diwu Lun grows stronger by the day; the Prince of Shu, Gongsun Shu, eyes Hanzhong covetously; the Prince of Liang nurses wild ambitions; the Red Eyebrows threat remains unresolved; Qin Feng and Tian Rong in Nan Commandery and Jiangxia heed orders but ignore decrees; and Li Xian, Prince of Huainan, dominates the southeast alone."

"Crises pile upon crises, victory or defeat unknowable, yet the Emperor indulges himself to this degree. Had I known it would come to this, I would rather have supported the Liu Bosheng brothers from the start than pin my hopes on him!"

Li Tong shook his head and was about to go home when a man stopped him. He looked closely — it was Li Shu, the "Army-Commanding General" from Yuzhang.

Li Shu shared his surname but not his clan. The man hailed from Yuzhang in the south, and the moment he opened his mouth a thick southern Chu accent poured out. He had heard that the Greenwood men had risen against Wang Mang and had come from his hometown to join them. He was blunt and straightforward by nature, a man who could not tolerate a speck of dust in his eye.

Li Tong had no choice but to stop. "What is it, Army-Commanding General?"

Li Shu said: "This humble man has heard tales of the Former Han. In his late years, Emperor Gao wished to amuse himself and loathed seeing his ministers. He decreed that the palace guards were to deny them entry and sent only eunuchs to answer in his place. Among the assembled ministers, not even Zhou Bo or Guan Ying dared enter."

"After ten-odd days, Fan Kuai could bear it no longer. He led the ministers as they pushed aside the doors and strode straight in — only to find Emperor Gao drinking all day, pillowed against Lady Qi in his revelry, lying asleep upon her lap."

"Fan Kuai, seeing this, wept aloud and said: 'In the beginning, Your Majesty rose with your servants from Feng and Pei and settled the realm — how magnificent that was! Now the realm is settled, yet how weary and spent you have become! Moreover, Your Majesty is advanced in years, and your great ministers tremble with alarm. You will not see your servants to plan the great affairs of the realm, but instead seclude yourself with rear-palace eunuchs for your own amusement, cutting off all contact within and without. Has Your Majesty forgotten the affair of the Second Emperor of Qin and Zhao Gao?!'"

Li Shu said: "Now the realm is not yet settled, yet the Son of Heaven's slackness surpasses even Emperor Gao's late years. His abandon to sound and lust approaches that of Jie, Zhou, and Prince Huhai. How can he carry on the glorious legacy of Emperor Gao or restore the interrupted work of Kings Wen and Wu? The Prince of Xiping is a weighty minister of the state — he ought to emulate Fan Kuai and remonstrate directly with the Son of Heaven!"

Li Tong was a clever man. His position was already sensitive because he had married Liu Xiu's younger sister — how would he dare to court disaster at a time like this? He gave no answer, only saying: "Let each man attend to the duties of his office. The Army-Commanding General need only manage well what falls within his own charge."

"Prince of Xiping, then this humble man shall speak of what does fall within my charge." Li Shu, however, would not be put off. He said: "In all matters of military and state appointments, as well as penal codes and legal institutions, this humble man is to assist the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers in deciding them."

He pointed a hand toward the palace. "But His Majesty heeds slanderous counsel. The officials he appoints and employs are largely old cronies he caroused with in his youth — merchants, grooms, cooks, and the like. Many of them wear embroidered jackets, brocade trousers, short coats, or women's wide-lapelled robes, laughing and cursing wantonly within the palace. Does the Prince of Xiping know what the people of Nanyang say?"

"There is already a satirical song in Wancheng: 'Offal from the stove — a General of the Household. Rotten sheep's stomach — a Cavalry Commandant. Rotten sheep's head — a Marquis Within the Pass.'"

This Greenwood Han had not only a surplus of princedoms but also of marquisates — several hundred had already been handed out, matching the profligacy of the Xin dynasty's Wang Mang, if not surpassing it. After all, they controlled only the two mere provinces of Yu and Jing, and many commanderies offered only surface obedience.

"If it falls within the Army-Commanding General's duties, then submit a memorial on your own — why come asking me?" Li Tong still refused to get involved and hurried into his carriage and left. By now, he was somewhat disheartened and indifferent, his thoughts fixed only on fortifying the Li clan stronghold to guard against the great chaos to come.

But Li Tong only learned the next day that this hotheaded bumpkin from the backwaters of Yuzhang, Li Shu, had indeed barged in while the Gengshi Emperor was feasting merrily with his consorts and presented a memorial of direct remonstrance.

He said that Liu Xuan had put mediocrities — cooks, merchants, and the like — in charge of governing the realm, while letting the Greenwood commanders run amok carving out fiefdoms beyond the court's reach. Mucking about with such vermin, how could the realm possibly be well governed?

Li Shu also urged the Gengshi Emperor to select the worthy and appoint the capable, dismiss the wicked and corrupt, and curtail the extravagance of the rear palace.

"May Your Majesty cut away the follies and delusions of the past and reflect upon the flourishing excellence of King Wen of Zhou!"

The result, naturally, was that the petty-minded Gengshi Emperor flew into a great rage and ordered Li Shu stripped of his office and driven back to Yuzhang.

Li Tong had no comment to offer on this, for Liu Xuan soon summoned him. Upon entering the hall he found his cousin, the Prince of Wuyin, Li Yi, also present, who shot him a meaningful glance.

Today, Liu Xuan had not been drinking and making merry. Instead, seething with fury, he flung a memorial that had come from afar onto the floor before Li Tong.

"Prince of Xiping — were you aware of this matter?"

Li Tong assumed he was being blamed over the Li Shu affair. He picked it up hesitantly, only to discover with astonishment that Liu Xiu, who had originally been ordered to pacify and recruit the Liang territories and the Red Eyebrows, had instead run off to the Xu and Yang provinces, falsely claiming the titles of Governor of Xu and Governor of Yang. He now controlled the three commanderies of Linhuai, Guangling, and Kuaiji, and it was said that Danyang was about to fall to him as well...

To Li Tong, this was undoubtedly a tremendous and delightful surprise. At the same time, he marveled inwardly — he had misjudged the man back then. This Liu Xiu far surpassed his elder brother! In barely half a year, through a mix of coaxing and fighting, he had secured a territory of his own.

But with his lips, Li Tong naturally professed shock and trepidation, disclaiming all knowledge.

Liu Xuan was deeply displeased. "The Governor of Xu whom We dispatched was blocked north of the Huai River and killed by Red Eyebrows rebel soldiers instead. It was only thanks to one of his subordinates fleeing back to report that We learned Liu Xiu has been appointing his own officials across three commanderies. Does Liu Wenshu regard Us as nothing?"

Was it so strange for a Greenwood Han general out in the field to install his own trusted men as provincial governors and commandery administrators? Li Tong sneered inwardly. Liu Xuan was a mediocrity who refused to exert himself learning statecraft. From the court to the provinces and commanderies, he let everything run wild. Because he had been propped up by the Greenwood commanders, he was exceedingly indulgent toward them.

【Send Red Envelopes】 Reading perks are here! You have a cash red envelope up to 888 yuan waiting to be claimed! Follow the Weixin official account 【Book Friends Base Camp】 to draw a red envelope!

The Prince of Huaiyang, Zhang Ang; the Prince of Biyang, Wang Kuang; and the Prince of Xiangyi, Cheng Dan, ruled arbitrarily over Yingchuan and Luoyang. The Grand Marshal, Zhu Wei, ran rampant with cruelty and tyranny in Runan, treating his jurisdiction as his personal domain. As a result, provinces and commanderies overlapped in a tangled mess, and no one knew whom to obey.

Liu Xiu had merely done what the other Greenwood chieftains routinely did. But Liu Xuan was insecure and sensitive, always convinced that the world respected only the Liu Bosheng brothers and looked down on him. After Liu Bosheng's death, instead of properly consolidating his faction, he had done his utmost to suppress it.

The news that Liu Xiu had not only survived but was growing stronger by the day in the southeast made Liu Xuan deeply uneasy. Gritting his teeth, he decided to appoint two more Governors of Xu and Yang, and to send Li Yi with a few thousand troops to the southeast to strip Liu Xiu of the modest military authority he had just scraped together and order him to return!

"Your Majesty!"

Li Tong dared not speak, but Li Yi, who had always been at odds with the Liu Bosheng brothers, said: "Xu and Yang provinces are cut off by the Red Eyebrows, the Prince of Liang, and Li Xian of Huainan. It will not be easy to send a large force through."

And even if one were sent, would it be a match for Liu Xiu? Li Yi had no fondness for Liu Xiu, but he could not forget the man's fierce valor at the Battle of Kunyang. If he went himself, would he not simply be delivering troops and armor to Liu Wenshu?

Unwilling to court death, Li Yi proposed a venomous scheme: "In my humble opinion, it would be better, while sending envoys to take over the three commanderies, to simultaneously enfeoff Liu Xiu as a prince."

Liu Xuan instantly flew into a violent rage. He would rather enfeoff relatives who had rendered no merit whatsoever than give Liu Xiu such an advantage.

Yet within the Greenwood ranks, who did not know of Liu Xiu's achievements? Far too many people were indignant on his behalf. This sentiment could not be left unappeased.

Li Yi said: "First, it can soothe the remnants of Liu Bosheng's forces."

"Second, it can lull Liu Xiu into lowering his guard so that he returns to Nanyang to receive his enfeoffment."

"When Liu Xiu returns, your servant will, on Your Majesty's behalf, seize his territory and strip his old associates of their military authority. At that point, Liu Xiu can either be confined in Wancheng, made a wealthy and comfortable prince without any threat; or he can be ordered to take the remnants of Liu Bosheng's forces and enter the passes with the Red Eyebrows to strike Diwu Lun. Liu Xiu is skilled at commanding troops and bears a blood-debt against Wei Five for his brother's death — he would surely agree with alacrity."

This was yet another installment of Liu Xuan's favorite game, "borrowing a sword to kill." In his head, addled by wine and lust, he thought the scheme truly excellent. His eyes flicked toward Li Tong. "What does the Prince of Xiping think?"

The day's events made the disheartened, muddled Li Tong feel as though he had glimpsed a sliver of light in the darkness once more. In his heart he wanted to help Liu Xiu, but he did not know how to begin and could only take things one step at a time. Besides, with Liu Wenshu's talents, would he really come back to let himself be captured without a fight?

Li Tong merely bowed his head and said: "Your servant has no objection."

"Good."

Liu Xuan began to mull over Liu Xiu's princely title. He recalled that Emperor Gao had once said of Liu Bi, "His face bears the look of a rebel." A malicious impulse seized him, and with a flourish of his brush, he settled on this rather ill-omened title for Liu Xiu.

"Prince of Wu!"

At the same time, north of the Huai River, a thousand li east of Nanyang, a band of men with red paint smeared on their foreheads were also receiving "enfeoffment" from Liu Xuan.

But Fan Chong did not kneel. His back was ramrod straight, and his followers all stood as well, watching in just this manner as the Greenwood Han envoy, trembling with fear, finished reading the document aloud.

"Is that it?"

His men snatched the edict and handed it to Fan Chong. The giant Fan flipped it back and forth, unable to make out a single character.

The Red Eyebrows' Elders beside him also spoke up: "When General Ma Wu came earlier as an envoy, we admired his character, and that was why we agreed to talk. We never imagined Gengshi would only be willing to part with a few empty noble titles."

The Red Eyebrows had no choice but to negotiate. After spending the winter north of the Huai, many had grown weary of years of the same aimless wandering. Exhausted and sick of war, they wept and brooded day and night — some talked of disbanding and longed to return east, others wanted to stay north of the Huai and farm. Over that one winter, the local strongmen's fortified manors had been nearly swept clean by them…

Fan Chong, too, had been thinking: since the new Mang regime was already destroyed, and he had no ambition to become Emperor or a king, if he could reach a peace agreement with Greenwood Han — the largest power in the Central Plains — and put a stop to the fighting, granting the Red Eyebrows the lands north of the Huai, Huaiyang, Pengcheng, together with their old home commanderies to the east like Langya and Donghai as fiefs, allowing his three hundred thousand followers to be exempt from taxes and each to have their own fields… If that could be done, the Red Eyebrows would be willing to offer tribute to Greenwood without submitting to its court. After all, they were all poor brothers who had risen against Mang.

He had heard that Greenwood, too, had sprung from the wilds. Even though they had propped up a Liu-surnamed Emperor and their chieftains had become kings, perhaps they could still remember the hardships of their early days and reach a mutual understanding?

Incidentally, it would be best if Greenwood could provide them with a relief shipment of grain. The grain north of the Huai was nearly gone; what remained was barely enough for seed.

If this could be achieved, Fan Chong would have found a way out for the brothers and sisters who trusted and followed him — they could lay down their blades, pick up their hoes, and return to the fields that belonged to them.

Yet Liu Xuan's edict remained as lofty as ever, treating himself as the legitimate sovereign and the Red Eyebrows as bandits. It was nothing more than an offer to pacify them, demanding that the Red Eyebrows bow their heads and accept every condition.

Fan Chong tossed the edict carelessly to the ground and strode over it.

"I do not seek to be a prince, a marquis, a general, or a minister."

"But Liu Xuan cannot fob us off with just twenty-odd empty marquis titles and refuse to give us any actual territory, can he?"

Similar to the approach he planned to use against Liu Xiu, Liu Xuan demanded that Fan Chong and over twenty other Red Eyebrows leaders go to Wancheng to receive their enfeoffments, while the rank-and-file soldiers were to stay where they were and await reorganization by the Greenwood chieftains.

Arrogant and utterly insincere — Fan Chong's opinion of Greenwood plummeted at once.

"We thought too well of Greenwood." Fan Chong shook his head in disappointment and advanced step by step toward the envoy.

The Red Eyebrows closed in as well. The Greenwood Han envoy said hastily, "But in the edict, His Majesty said he was willing to grant the Guanzhong region to the Red Eyebrows, and he also agreed that the first to enter the Pass would be king!"

"Bah!"

Fan Chong roared, "Do you think old Fan here can't read, that I don't recognize this trick of borrowing a sword to kill a man?"

These three hundred thousand Red Eyebrows brothers and sisters under his command were not a blade for Liu Xuan to use against Diwu Lun!

They would never become tools for the King of Liang, or Liu Xuan, or any regime, to seize territory and profit. Their hoes and halberds they raised for themselves alone!

Fan Chong kicked the envoy to the ground with one foot, raised his arm, and shouted:

"This envoy is too clumsy-tongued to make anything clear. In that case, we'll just have to go to Wancheng ourselves, find Liu Xuan face to face, and have a proper talk!"

…

PS: Chapter 2 at 23:00.