Chapter 397: When the Tree Falls, the Monkeys Scatter

Once suspicion took root, the thought could not be stopped. Xu Xuan, the cleverest among the Red Eyebrow lords, moved swiftly and soon found a suitable candidate.

"Master Xu, can this Confucian scholar really recognize who that old farmer is?"

Xie Lu eyed the gaunt, rather down-and-out scholar before him with deep skepticism. The man had been dragged out of a ruined house. He was also a minister of the Gengshi regime, but when Liu Xuan fled, he had not been notified at all. While leaving the city, he got separated from his household servants and twisted his ankle. Unable to escape, he could only hide in Wancheng. When the Red Eyebrows found him, he was crouched in an abandoned kitchen of a wealthy household, scooping up dregs and chaff to eat.

"Don't underestimate him." Xu Xuan laughed and gave the man a kick. "Tell Lord Xie — who are you?"

Zheng Xing swallowed his humiliation and carefully bowed to introduce himself. "My courtesy name is Shaogan. I am from Kaifeng in Henan. I am well-versed in the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Zuo Tradition..."

"No one asked about your learning," Xu Xuan said. "What office did you hold in the Xin Dynasty?"

Zheng Xing had no choice but to say, "I studied under the State Preceptor, Master Liu Zijun, and served as Libationer at the Imperial Academy. I often accompanied my master in and out of the palace and have seen the Four Advisors, the Three Excellencies, the Four Generals, the Nine Ministers, and the Six Supervisors."

He had also been a full Grand Master in the Gengshi court and had even proposed to Liu Xuan the plan to "move the capital to Luoyang." Who could have expected this emperor to be so unworthy — rejecting the strategy and abandoning the man. Now Zheng Xing could see clearly what sort of stuff this Son of Heaven of the Great Han was made of, but regret came too late.

"A fine Libationer indeed. Today, we'll have you identify another 'Libationer'!"

Today, that "Old Farmer" was going to meet again with Lord Fan to discuss land equalization. Xu Xuan arranged for Zheng Xing to go up to the second floor of a neighborhood house opposite the government office, opened the window, and had him observe in secret.

When the carriage and horses drew near, Zheng Xing nearly dropped his jaw in shock.

That giant bearing a halberd and standing guard — how could he look so much like the General of the Household, Ju Wuba!

And that man who came out of the residence to greet them — no matter how he looked, he was the very image of the Marquis of Shuofu, General of the Five Majesties' Central City, Cui Fa!

When the old man in the carriage stepped down and even turned his head to glance this way, Zheng Xing's heart nearly stopped!

There was no mistake. Even if that old fellow had dyed his eyebrows red, he could still recognize him. Was this not his master Liu Xin's old friend, the Emperor of the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang, Wang Jujun?!

"Well?"

Xie Lu impatiently grabbed Zheng Xing and pressed him, while Xu Xuan stood to the side in silence, only wanting to read something from Zheng Xing's eyes.

Fortunately, Zheng Xing was a man who had lived through several downfalls. He forcefully suppressed the shock in his heart and only shook his head blankly. "A stranger. He should not be a court official!"

Although Zheng Xing did not expose Wang Mang's identity, Xu Xuan's suspicion remained. And at that day's council, Xu Xuan, together with Xie Lu, remonstrated with Fan Chong, firmly opposing this absurd land equalization plan.

Xu Xuan did not oppose destroying powerful families and distributing land. He merely believed that the lords, Elders, and Attendants, who had followed Fan Chong from the earliest days and rendered great service, should rightfully receive a larger share.

When Wang Mang again raised the point of "not worrying about scarcity but about inequality," Xu Xuan directly choked him, saying, "One man joined the Red Eyebrows at East Mount Tai, went through great battles like Chengchang and Runan, killed countless enemies and beheaded generals, his body covered in scars, and achieved great merit."

"Another man only just dyed his eyebrows red upon reaching Nanyang and joined the Red Eyebrows, his hands not yet stained with blood."

"When land is distributed, the former gets a hundred mu, and the latter also gets a hundred mu. Is this called fairness? Those of high merit receiving generous stipends is a principle of heaven and earth! If it is not so, great chaos will surely erupt within the Red Eyebrow Army!"

As soon as Xu Xuan said this, the Elders and Attendants attending the council in the hall were instantly filled with righteous indignation, all turning their spears toward Wang Mang. Fan Chong had to repeatedly rap the table with the back of his blade to make them stop.

The resistance was too great. Wang Mang was no longer the man in charge and could only negotiate everything. He reluctantly made a concession, having Cui Fa step forward to propose, "Ordinary Red Eyebrows, one hundred mu; Attendants, two hundred mu; Elders, four hundred mu; the Three Excellencies, eight hundred mu. How about that?"

Xu Xuan refused and raised the stakes. "In my view, it should be: lords, one hundred thousand mu; Elders, ten thousand mu; Attendants, one thousand mu; ordinary Red Eyebrow soldiers, one hundred mu. That would be proper!"

After much wrangling, it was finally decided: Red Eyebrow soldiers, one hundred mu; thereafter, in order, five hundred, two thousand, five thousand; and Fan Chong, ten thousand.

"If there is any surplus after the division, it shall then be distributed to the people of Nanyang, but only to those who willingly submitted and surrendered, preferably former bondservants," Xu Xuan said. "Only such people will be utterly loyal to the Red Eyebrows."

But Fan Chong declared that one hundred mu was enough for him; the rest would all be given to others.

This rather embarrassed Xu Xuan and the other lords. They wanted to follow his example, but Fan Chong stopped them. "The position of Grand Lord is held in rotation. Now that it is my turn, I shall accept no land. Later, when it is your turn, you too must not accept. But for now, take it for the time being!"

These words greatly stirred Xu Xuan and the others. When the council ended, Fan Chong called Xu Xuan back and asked him to stay and drink with him.

"Brother Xu — I won't use your courtesy name. You know that Fan Chong is a crude man. Back when you all proposed setting up a man of the Liu clan as emperor and discussed making me Chancellor, the head of all officials, I thought to myself: I can't even read. If anyone is to hold that post, it must be you!"

Xu Xuan hurriedly protested he dared not, but Fan Chong grabbed him. "Don't be modest. When it comes to fighting wars, old Fan here will yield to no one. But when it comes to managing affairs, you are better than me."

Fan Chong poured wine for Xu Xuan and laughed heartily. "I've been listening often to that Old Farmer's words lately, and Brother Xu has been unhappy about it, yes?"

"How would I dare." Xu Xuan knew that although Fan Chong seemed like a crude fellow, a man who could lead three hundred thousand brothers and sisters a thousand li with no one able to replace him — how could he be a mediocre man?

"That Old Farmer's words, I only listen to half of them." Though their thoughts were drifting further apart, they were, after all, both Red Eyebrows, with a bond forged through so many years of facing life and death together. Fan Chong laid his cards on the table for Xu Xuan.

"The Old Farmer has many ideas. Sometimes he speaks right to my heart. But afterward, when I think it over carefully, when it comes to putting them into practice, they don't quite work."

Fan Chong pointed at Xu Xuan and laughed. "You are different. You don't have those ideas, but you are reliable in getting things done."

The giant Fan happily made his decision. "From now on, it's settled: the Old Farmer will come up with the ideas, and you will carry them out!"

This way, the Red Eyebrows could move in the direction Fan Chong hoped for, without tripping themselves up.

Through this matter, Xu Xuan gained the power of implementation, and his intent to kill Fan Chong vanished. But his malice toward Wang Mang did not diminish in the slightest. He only hated that the giant "Tian Elai" guarded him day and night, leaving no opening for assassins to get close.

But just as Xu Xuan was pondering how to eliminate this man without leaving a trace, another minor Red Eyebrow lord, Yang Yin, returned and reported two matters, which temporarily halted the Red Eyebrows' internal strife.

"Liu Xuan was not caught. He escaped."

"Also, the Red Eyebrow vanguard near Xinye County met resistance from the powerful Deng and Lai clans and was defeated. Their men are elite and their forces considerable. A full army must be sent out!"

Liu Xuan was good for nothing else, but he ran faster than a rabbit. In just a few days, he had already returned to Chongling, hastily gathered a group of elders of the Chongling Liu clan, and then turned southeast toward Sui County.

If Wang Mang's flaw was being too idealistic, then the Greenwood's flaw was having no ideals at all...

Some of the canal commanders stopped pretending. For example, Shentu Jian, the King of Pingshi, reverted to his bandit ways from years past, plundering all along the road, intent on seizing enough women, children, and silk before heading up Greenwood Mountain to continue being a mountain king. He did not plan to cross south with Liu Xuan and took his personal troops directly into the mountains midway.

There were also canal commanders like Liao Zhan, the King of Rang, and Chen Mu, the King of Yinping. The two were originally powerful men of Sui County who had founded the Pinglin Army and single-handedly orchestrated Liu Xuan's ascension to the throne. But now, a rift had formed between them.

Liao Zhan secretly pondered, "I have no deep grudge against the Red Eyebrows. The one who angered the Red Eyebrows is Liu Xuan. If I can capture him and present him to the Red Eyebrow Lord Fan, expressing my willingness to surrender, I could guard Nanyang's southern gate for the Red Eyebrows. Perhaps I might even become an Elder."

But when he discussed this with his old friend of many years, Chen Mu, he met with Chen Mu's resolute opposition.

"Though I, Chen Mu, have been defeated by the Red Eyebrows, I still know that one minister does not serve two masters. Liu Xuan may be mediocre, but he was raised up by the two of us with our own hands. Others may abandon him, but I cannot."

He further urged, "Now that everyone has deserted him, his title at least remains. After we go south of Jing, with the several thousand troops under our command, we can still seize half a province's territory, allowing Liu Xuan to hold a corner in peace and meet a good end. You and I can also have him re-enfeoff us with a commandery and become regional lords. That is far better than being the Red Eyebrows' gate-watching dogs!"

But Liao Zhan still hesitated, feeling that a golden nest or a silver nest was not as good as his own dog's den. Sui County was at least on the edge of the Central Plains. South of Jing was a land of sweltering heat and low-lying dampness, where husbands died young. It was better not to go.

This rift led the two to part ways at Sui County. Although Liao Zhan did not seize Liu Xuan, he still pulled his troops aside to stay and observe the situation, under the fine-sounding pretext of covering the Gengshi Emperor's rear.

Only Chen Mu and Zhu Wei, as the last loyal ministers of Gengshi, accompanied Liu Xuan south with a scant three or four thousand men. After crossing Mount Hengwei, they entered the territory of Jiangxia Commandery. They were caught in continuous autumn rain, and everyone became drenched, a sorry sight. Liu Xuan could only console himself:

"At least it's better than when Wang Mang went on his southern hunt."

Jiangxia was theoretically also Greenwood Han territory. Liu Xuan had sent men ahead early to notify those along the route. However, when they reached Anlu County, and the exhausted men hoped to sleep under a roof that night, they saw the moat's edge thick with abatis and the city walls bristling with banners and flags — not of Han, but of...

"Chu?"

When they approached the city and called for the gates, Anlu County's response was to shout at the soldiers to shoot wildly with arrows! The dark-faced County Magistrate even stood atop the wall, enumerating the Greenwood's crimes.

"In the time of the false Xin, when Zhu Wei of the Greenwood Army passed through our county, the slaughter was immense! The people of Anlu wish they could eat your flesh raw, yet we swallowed our humiliation, bore the burden, and submitted to Gengshi. Now Heaven has eyes — Nanyang suffers the Red Eyebrows' calamity, Gengshi is destroyed, and the King of Chuli has raised troops in Jing-Xiang. We naturally pledge ourselves to him."

"From this day on, Anlu is no longer Han territory! We take pity on you merely passing through — leave quickly and you may yet keep your lives. Otherwise, the Grand General Who Sweeps the Floor will come to attack!"

Liu Xuan was instantly stupefied. In his mind he carefully counted the eight imperial-surname kings and thirteen non-imperial-surname kings he had enfeoffed in his brief year and a half as emperor. After calculating for a long while, he cried out:

"We… We never enfeoffed any feudal lord called 'King of Chuli'!"

…

Meanwhile, in Xinye County, at the Deng clan's fortified manor, the powerful families of Nanyang gathered to discuss their future fate and prospects.

From the Xinye powerful families, there were Lai Xi; Deng Chen and his nephew Deng Feng; and Yin Shi.

Days earlier, it was Deng Feng and Lai Xi who had joined forces, leading the retainers of their two houses and several thousand local people to deal a heavy blow to the Red Eyebrows' vanguard north of Xinye.

Deng Feng spoke first: "The Red Eyebrows claim a million men, but in truth they have three hundred thousand — one hundred thousand in Pengcheng, Runan, and Huaibei, but those who have entered Nanyang number two hundred thousand, of whom no fewer than one hundred thousand can fight!"

Yet after years of war, defeats, and marginalization, the three Xinye powerful houses — Deng, Lai, and Yin — even if they pooled their strength and recruited locals, could not muster ten thousand men.

Xinye is flat open country; the Red Eyebrows are impossible to hold back. Withdrawal was virtually the powerful families' only option — but where to withdraw became the point of contention.

No one was willing to follow Liu Xuan, however — that was the one consensus. They had had more than enough of that mediocre ruler.

Deng Feng was the first to propose: "Qin Feng, Governor of Nan Commandery, upon hearing that the Red Eyebrows had broken through Wan, proclaimed himself King of Chuli and established his capital at Xiangyang. His son-in-law, Tian Rong, Commandant of Nan Commandery, is also willing to follow him and calls himself the Grand General Who Sweeps the Floor. Together they command thirty thousand troops. Qin Feng has already moved north to take over Deng County and is willing to aid us against the Red Eyebrows!"

His opinion was: do not leave — stay and fight! Even if they could not withstand the Red Eyebrows' onslaught, they would retreat south to the Xiangyang line and use the natural mountain defenses there, which the Red Eyebrows would find extremely difficult to breach.

Deng Feng, however, did not look at his uncle Deng Chen — he was unimportant. He meant to persuade only one person: Lai Xi.

When Lai Xi was in Guanzhong, he had led cavalry and infantry in a flanking maneuver behind the Wei army's rear and defeated the Yue Cavalry Camp under Diwu Lun's command — a truly valiant general. Later he returned to broker an alliance between Long and Han, only to be shelved by the foolish Liu Xuan.

Deng Feng very much hoped he would stay: "Junshu, would you be willing to defend Xinye together with me?"

But Lai Xi was rather cold toward Deng Feng. There was old enmity between them: as a subordinate general of Liu Bosheng, Lai Xi could not forget how Deng Feng had withdrawn his troops after attacking Tongyuan, leaving Liu Bosheng's flank exposed — though even if he had not withdrawn, the outcome might not necessarily have been any different.

"I will go to the Three Ming'e Passes (in modern Xinyang, Henan)."

Lai Xi did not wish to speak much with Deng Feng. Concise and to the point, he stated his destination. With the Li clan of Wancheng moving there in its entirety, the place had become the main stronghold of Liu Bosheng's remaining partisans. Wang Chang, Ma Wu, and even the Fan clan of Huyang were all heading there. Its ring of mountains was solid enough to stop the Red Eyebrows.

He had heard that the forces in Huainan were fighting the King of Wu, Xiu. As a kinsman of Liu Xiu, Lai Xi thought that if he went there, he might be able to lead a detached force to aid Wenshu…

As Lai Xi departed, Deng Chen sighed and also rose to his feet.

Ever since the battle of Tongyuan, uncle and nephew had been nearly estranged. Deng Chen blamed himself for Liu Bosheng's death, and his position as clan head had been supplanted by his nephew.

Yet today, Deng Chen bowed deeply to Deng Feng with clasped hands: "Fengxian, the Deng clan — I leave it to you."

Deng Chen still could not get past his own hurdle. He had to go to Liu Xiu. From the very beginning, compared to Liu Bosheng, he had thought more highly of his wife's younger brother and was willing to go to Jiangdong to assist him.

One by one, the people left. The Xinye powerful families scattered, each their own way. In the end, only Deng Feng remained willing to defend their homeland.

But just as Deng Feng laughed bitterly at himself, he caught a glimpse — Yin Shi, the head of the Yin clan, had not left with Lai Xi and Deng Chen.

"Cibo, why aren't you in a hurry to follow Liu Bosheng this time?"

"The dream is over." Yin Shi was not old — not yet thirty — yet the hair at his temples had already gone white. That was all he said in reply.

Deng Feng studied him again with surprise: "Does that mean you will stay and defend Xinye with me?"

"Fengxian is a hero, a man of courage. But I am a petty man — I have my own place to go."

Yin Shi bowed deeply to Deng Feng with clasped hands, and left with his hand on his sword.

The great Nanyang clans had once been the mainstay of the Greenwood Han, but now, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Some went to join Liu Xiu, some held fast to their own territory, and some even fled into Shu to escape the chaos.

Yet Yin Shi felt that the one who could unite all under Heaven in the days to come was likely only one man: the King of Wei, Diwu Lun!

Because he had seen with his own eyes Wei's might, Wei's explosive rise. He had witnessed with his own eyes the ever-victorious Liu Bosheng meet his end at the Wei River.

Yin Shi had once brought his clan to the brink of utter ruin, had once stubbornly clung to delusion, wanting to complete his younger sister's marriage alliance with Liu Xiu. But now, he had woken.

The dream of restoring the Han, the dream of supporting the Liu — shattered, and so he woke!

Yin Shi had now grasped the truth of living. He knew what he must do now for the sake of his lineage.

"Wei's Cen Peng has already routed Wang Feng and is closing in on Wu Pass. His vanguard will likely soon enter Nanyang's western borders. The people of Nanyang are hospitable — how can there be no one to go bearing vessels of broth and wine to welcome them?"

…

PS: Alliance Leader bonus chapters 9/23.