Chapter 406: Long and Shu

The Imperial Seal in Gongsun Shu's hands had been stolen by an unfilial son in Hanzhong when Wang Mang fled south last year. Gongsun Shu's younger brother Gongsun Hui seized it and presented it to him, and it was then that the wild ambition to proclaim himself emperor took root in Gongsun Shu's heart.

The Imperial Seal had fallen into his hands, neither too early nor too late — what was this? This was the very Mandate of Heaven!

The "White Dragon Bestows the Seal" spectacle in Brocade Official City was naturally a farce he scripted and directed himself. The one who truly presented the seal, his royal younger brother Gongsun Hui, had instead arrived at Langzhong County in Ba Commandery to pay a visit to a venerable and highly respected recluse, hoping to persuade him to emerge from retirement and serve the Gongsun clan. In Gongsun Shu's own words: "If we can obtain but one word from Qiao Xuan, none will dare disbelieve those prophecies and apocrypha!"

Gongsun Hui adopted an exceedingly humble posture and bowed before the yellow-robed elder, saying, "I have long heard of your esteemed name, Master Qiao. It is only a pity that we were in different commanderies then, and I was unable to come and pay my respects."

Qiao Xuan's manner was cold. He too was an old servant of the Han, well-versed in the Book of Changes and the Spring and Autumn Annals. During the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, he had entered court as a Gentleman through the Filial and Incorrupt nomination. When Emperor Cheng wished to make Zhao Feiyan his Empress, Qiao Xuan submitted a memorial of remonstrance. It went unheeded, and he subsequently resigned and departed.

He waited twenty years, until the reign of Emperor Ping of Han, before Wang Mang summoned him back to court to serve as a Grand Master. For a time, he too was deceived by the Duke Who Pacifies the Han, but after Wang Mang became "Acting Emperor," Qiao Xuan saw his ambition clearly. He then changed his name, abandoned his post, and returned home, living in seclusion for over a decade.

Gongsun Hui smiled. "The King of Shu has long admired your name and has extended several invitations, but you, Master Qiao, have declined every summons. And so, the King of Shu could only send me in his stead, bearing gifts, to come and enlist you. I hope you will not refuse again!"

Qiao Xuan remained in his bamboo hut, eyes half-closed. "This old man is advanced in years. I fear I cannot serve the King of Shu. Please seek out another of superior ability."

"Please." Gongsun Hui informed Qiao Xuan of one matter: "Ren Wengong, the fangshi of your own commandery, has already answered the summons and entered Chengdu."

This Ren Wengong was a renowned fangshi of the Shu region, his family transmitting the secret essentials of celestial offices and wind-angle divination. Once, while on official business traveling to Yizhou, he was able to discern from the celestial signs that the Governor of Yuesui in Shu was about to rebel. No one believed him, and he alone fled. As a result, all his remaining colleagues perished.

After that, he predicted rainfall with unerring accuracy on several more occasions. Even the Duke Who Pacifies the Han took notice of this man and summoned him to be a Clerk of the Minister of Works, specifically put in charge of waterworks — a case of matching expertise to the role.

But Ren Wengong perceived that the Han dynasty's mandate was about to be severed and thought it best not to get embroiled in this mess. He therefore pleaded illness and resigned from office. Five years later, Wang Mang indeed usurped the Han and invited Ren Wengong to Chang'an. Recalling Wang Mang's physiognomy, Ren Wengong felt this emperor would not last long either, and so he lived in seclusion up to the present, frequently visiting Qiao Xuan. The locals often said: "Ren Wengong, wisdom unmatched; Master Qiao in yellow, virtue immeasurable," calling them the Two Elders of Langzhong.

He had not expected that even his old friend could not withstand the pressure from Gongsun Shu and had been forced to emerge. To think that in times like these, they could not even be like Boyi and Shuqi — Qiao Xuan felt only a nameless sorrow.

Gongsun Hui said, "Ren Wengong is thoroughly versed in the stars and celestial signs, while you, Master Qiao, excel in the Book of Changes. The King of Shu hopes that you two might serve as his Left and Right State Preceptors."

But Qiao Xuan would only consent to be a Han minister. His attitude was quite resolute. Nor was this a man easily bought, for the Qiao family itself was a great clan of Langzhong with a fortune in the tens of millions. Gongsun Hui had no choice but to threaten him: "Master Qiao, your lofty integrity is renowned, and the court has its eye on you. Truly, it would not be fitting to refuse again and bring calamity upon yourself!"

Yet Qiao Xuan, that iron-willed man, remained unmoved. Gongsun Hui could not very well force poison down his throat and kill him, could he? He had to settle for the next best thing. "If you will not answer the summons, so be it. I have the King of Shu's birth date and hour, and I hope you, Master Qiao, will take a look."

Gongsun Hui then placed a piece of silk before Qiao Xuan. "Look at the King of Shu's birth date — can he become Emperor?"

If Qiao Xuan would just nod his head and endorse the King of Shu, Gongsun Hui could report back successfully.

Who would have guessed that Qiao Xuan would merely glance at it once before sneering coldly.

"This birth date is not very good. Deduced by the Book of Changes, as a king he might dominate a region for a time, but as an emperor — I fear it is impossible!"

With that, he casually flicked the silk and tossed it back before Gongsun Hui.

Gongsun Hui swallowed his anger and said in a lowered voice, "I must ask you, Master Qiao, to look again, carefully!"

"There is no need!" Qiao Xuan said stubbornly. "The imperial throne is the divine vessel of all under Heaven, and it has its own master. All under Heaven long for the Han; the Liu surname shall rise again. It cannot be taken by force. This is my reply!"

Gongsun Hui was enraged. "Qiao Xuan! Everyone says that for my elder brother to be a king is too little — he can be Emperor! And after Ren Wengong entered Chengdu, he cited apocrypha for the King of Shu, saying that when Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, he ended with twelve dukes to mark the Red Regime, showing that from Han Gaodi to Han Pingdi, twelve generations have passed. The ordained number is complete; one surname cannot receive the mandate to be Emperor again."

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"Furthermore, the Record of the Unfolding of Fortune says: 'Depose the Emperor of Chang, establish the Gongsun.' The Encompassing Earth Image says: 'The Thearch Xuanyuan received the mandate, the Gongsun clan holds it.' The Aid to the Spirits says: 'The Western Governor, yi breaks the Mao-metal Liu.'"

"This means that the Western Governor shall crush and sever the Mao-metal Liu clan. In the cycle of the Five Powers, Yellow succeeds Red, and White succeeds Yellow. Metal occupies the West as the White Power, and succeeding the Wang clan, it attains the correct sequence."

"Not to mention that my elder brother has strange lines on his palm and received the Jade Seal from a white dragon. With such a clear mandate of Heaven, why do you persist in your delusion!"

Qiao Xuan, however, was unmoved and retorted, "The 'Gongsun' spoken of in the charts and apocrypha refers to Gongsun Bingyi of Han Xuandi. The one to replace the Han is Dang Tu Gao — is Gongsun Shu Dang Tu Gao? As for taking palm lines as an auspicious omen, Wang Mang and his ilk did the same back then. Why must you imitate them? Is it because you fear this career of a regional king might last too long?"

Gongsun Hui could endure no longer. He rose and cursed, "What a stubborn old man!"

At this shout, the black-clad guards waiting outside all burst in. They were death warriors secretly trained by Gongsun Shu, and they all drew their swords to threaten Qiao Xuan.

So, the Gongsun King of Shu, who honored the worthy and humbled himself before scholars, had finally bared his hidden fangs. Qiao Xuan raised his head to the heavens with a long sigh and declared with righteous fervor: "Yao of Tang was a great sage, yet Xu You considered it shameful to serve; King Wu of Zhou possessed supreme virtue, yet Boyi clung to starvation. Who were they, and who am I? To preserve my resolve and uphold my integrity — even in death, what regret is there? If you mean to kill me, then strike!"

Though he was grinding his teeth to bits, Gongsun Hui still feared Qiao Xuan's reputation. Killing him would cause all of Langzhong to explode in outrage. Moreover, Qiao Xuan's son kowtowed until he bled, pleading for his father's life: "My father is old and senile! The entire Qiao clan is willing to support the King of Shu's proclamation as Emperor. Now, the state has stern enemies to the east, troops are dispatched in all directions, and state funds and military supplies may often run short. We are willing to offer our family wealth of ten million to ransom our father's life."

By the time Gongsun Hui returned to Chengdu, his elder brother's imperial proclamation ceremony was already fully prepared. When he heard his brother recount how that old diehard Qiao Xuan refused to fall in line, Gongsun Shu furrowed his brow, but it quickly smoothed out.

"A man who carves a notch on the boat to find his sword — pay him no mind."

"A year ago, when I first declared myself King of Shu, I still worried that people's hearts longed for the Han. But now..."

Gongsun Shu had gained an entire Hanzhong Commandery from the collapse of the Greenwood Han. The pro-Han restoration faction in Shu had also been dealt a heavy blow by this event. Aside from Qiao Xuan, many had begun to switch allegiances and work for Gongsun Shu.

"The Han house's mandate is exhausted; it is not to be feared. My greatest opponent now is still the King of Wei, Diwu Lun!"

Feng Yan had entered Chengdu the previous year and forged an unbreakable alliance between Wei and Shu. The two sides had even exchanged envoys.

But with Gongsun Shu unifying Yizhou, Diwu Lun had become the obstacle blocking his further advance.

"Do you know why I am in such a hurry to proclaim myself Emperor?"

Gongsun Shu stroked the lines on his palm as he asked his brother.

"One reason is that before Wang Mang's destruction, he dreamed that in Weiyang Palace, a golden man stood up. The one to succeed the Xin must be of the Metal Power! We absolutely cannot let Diwu Lun seize the initiative."

This reasoning sounded utterly stupefying, but Gongsun Shu indeed believed in this sort of thing just as devoutly as Wang Mang had. The fangshi he had summoned, based on various theories, had determined that the King of Shu was of the Metal Power, whose color should exalt white. However, according to rumors Gongsun Shu had heard, Diwu Lun was also planning to proclaim himself Emperor and was likewise interested in the Metal Power. The two sides had a color clash.

Gongsun Shu feared being said to be merely trailing in Diwu Lun's wake, so he simply sprinted ahead. It was as if by being the first to fix the Metal Power, he could seize Diwu Lun's very fortune!

In the middle of the ninth month, Gongsun Shu held a grand ceremony in Chengdu and formally declared himself Emperor. The dynastic name was also changed — no longer Shu, but "Chengjia," also called "Cheng." The exalted color was white. Gongsun Shu took the title White Emperor and inaugurated the era name Longxing.

Had Diwu Lun learned of this, he would surely have asked: "If your dynasty is called 'Chengjia' (Establishing a House), why isn't the era name 'Liye' (Building a Career)?"

Although Gongsun Shu was superstitious, he was not muddled to the degree Wang Mang had been. He did not think, "With the Imperial Seal in hand, all under Heaven is mine."

To contend for the realm, one must still rely on military campaigns and strategic schemes. These days, he frequently summoned his Chancellor, Li Xiong, to plan their future strategy.

"Over a year ago, Chancellor, you advised Us to establish a foothold in the Shu region, to hold Hanzhong in the north and block the strategic passes of Baoye; to guard Ba Commandery in the east and choke the mouth of the Han Pass. When there is no advantage, hold firm and devote efforts to agriculture; when advantage appears, dispatch troops and seize territory. Now, the strategic fastness of Yizhou, with its thousand li of fertile fields, is entirely in Our hands. In the Chancellor's opinion, is the external situation now advantageous or disadvantageous?"

Li Xiong answered without hesitation: "It is advantageous, of course!"

"Though the King of Wei, Diwu Lun, is mighty for the moment, having defeated Liu Bosheng and the Wei clan in succession and holding Sili exclusively, his northern front is pressured by the Xiongnu, Hu, and Han, while in the west he has left Longyou unsubdued. Now his forces are again marching east, leaving Guanzhong empty."

"Meanwhile, the Greenwood has also collapsed at just the right moment, splitting apart. The powerful families of Nanyang are resisting the Red Eyebrows; Qin Feng in Jingzhou has styled himself the King of Chuli; Liu Xiu in Jiangdong holds Wu and Kuaiji — each rules independently."

"Only Yizhou remains intact and secure. This is truly a prime opportunity to expand outward!"

Gongsun Shu thought the same. Using the pretext of his imperial proclamation, he issued a general amnesty. The remaining months of this year could allow the common people and soldiers to rest and recuperate. After the spring plowing next year, they could then expand outward.

But Ba-Shu, after all, had the strength of only a single province. Its population and grain supplies were not as abundant as the King of Wei's. He could not "have it all" — a choice had to be made.

"Next, should we cross the mountain ranges to the north and spy on the Three Qin, or follow the river south to shake Jingzhou?"

The former was what Wei Ao's military strategist, Fang Wang, had proposed in the summer, indicating that Longyou was willing to join the King of Shu in plotting against Guanzhong. They would threaten You Fufeng from west of Mount Long, drawing away Wan Xiu's forces, and invite Gongsun Shu to advance with a surprise force via the Baoye Road.

The unbreakable alliance had already shattered. Seeing Diwu Lun's royal enterprise thriving day by day, Gongsun Shu indeed found it hard to sleep and burned with envy. He very much wished to repeat the route of Liu Bang of old — using Ba-Shu and Hanzhong to seize the Three Qin, and then swallow the rest. What was more, his hometown was at Maoling. If the men of the Five Tombs could follow Diwu Lun, why could they not follow him?

But Li Xiong believed Longyou could not be trusted, and said: "Though Longyou was defeated at Fufeng, it has always retained the Han imperial title of Liu Ying. He is, after all, the legitimate Crown Prince of Emperor Ping of Han, and Wei Ao is a renowned scholar of the Guanzhong west. Should he have the chance to return to Chang'an and re-establish the Han legitimate line, Your Majesty would instead gain another enemy."

Li Xiong rather admired Feng Yan, but he found Fang Wang disagreeable, feeling the man's words were often duplicitous.

What was more, Diwu Lun's foundations in Guanzhong were solid. The great clans and powerful houses that needed eliminating had all been dealt with, and the refugees farming in Shanglin, having been granted food and clothing by the King of Wei, were quite loyal. Crossing the ridges for a thousand li was no easy campaign. The old road was already severed, making it even harder than Han Xin's secret crossing at Chencang. They must not end up with Shu troops toiling over mountains and rivers only to sew a wedding dress for the Longyou soldiers!

Therefore, Li Xiong believed they need only coax Wei Ao into deposing Liu Ying, thereby dealing another heavy blow to the pro-Han restoration forces. Then have Longyou send troops to Fufeng and Beidi, just enough to exhaust the Wei army. As for the Chengjia regime, the southern route would still yield the greatest gains going forward!

Compared to the State of Wei, Jingzhou was now torn apart. The Nanyang powerful houses, the Red Eyebrows, the King of Chu Li, the four commandery governors of southern Jing, and even the Greenwood Emperor Liu Xuan, who had fled south — all were locked in chaotic warfare. This was the perfect moment for Yizhou's towered warships to sail east and subdue and crush them one by one!

Let Longyou go smash against the hard rocks; the Chengjia regime would first pick the soft persimmons.

This was also why Li Xiong supported Gongsun Shu's early proclamation as emperor: the surrendered general Yan Cen from Hanzhong had to be granted a princely title to be placated, and some factions in Jingzhou also needed solid princely titles bestowed before they could be won over.

Li Xiong laid out his strategic vision to Gongsun Shu:

"Your Majesty's next step should be to make peace with the western Rong, pacify the southern Yi and Yue, stabilize the interior, and then extend your sway over both Jing and Yi!"

……

Gongsun Shu approved Li Xiong's strategy. He had numerous seals carved for the governors and feudal princes of the realm, preparing to distribute them to the various factions, large and small, across the commanderies of Jingzhou, so they would abandon the feckless Liu Xuan and observe the legitimate calendar of the "Dragon Rising."

On another front, he began developing Jiangzhou in Ba Commandery, constructing crimson-decked silk-sailed ships in preparation for a military campaign against Jingzhou the following year.

In the middle of the ninth month, Wei Ao in Longyou also received the seals of "Grand Minister of Works" and "Prince of Fu'an" delivered by envoys from Yizhou. He found the princely seal scorching hot to the touch, so hot it made his face burn — the kind of burn that came from shame turning to rage.

Wei Ao suppressed the urge to smash the seal into the envoy's face. He had the man taken away to rest and complained only to his own military advisor, Fang Wang:

"My power may not match the King of Wei's, but Long and Shu are enough to stand as equals. How can I bear the shame of being his subject?"

Wei Ao was quite willing to call himself a king, but bowing his head to Gongsun Shu truly rankled him.

You occupy Yizhou, I occupy Liangzhou. My population and wealth may be slightly less than yours, but Long and Liang have mighty horses and strong soldiers! The people of Liangzhou have always looked down on those of Yizhou. During the Han dynasty, when the barbarians of Shu rebelled frequently, the court would basically dispatch the sons of the six commanderies nearby to suppress them. That psychological edge still held.

"Gongsun Shu demands that I cast aside the Primordial Sovereign Emperor and nominally submit to him before he will ally with Long to strike Guanzhong. He utterly lacks sincerity."

As glorious as it had once been to enthrone the Han emperor, the predicament Longyou now found itself in was equally embarrassing. Trapped in Liangzhou's Longyou, unable to defeat the east, disdainful of the south, and with the Xiongnu and Hu to the north as hereditary foes, there was no one to turn to for an alliance.

Wei Ao knew that if he deposed the Han emperor, the old pro-Han restoration Confucians led by Liu Xin would first raise an uproar. If he declared himself a vassal of Gongsun Shu, the sons of the six commanderies would also explode in fury, and he would face internal strife.

In his indignation, Wei Ao even spoke in pique: "Compared to that, if I directly submitted to Diwu Lun, the harm I'd suffer would be less!"

It had originally been nothing more than a complaint, but unexpectedly, Fang Wang smiled and said: "Given the current situation, why not negotiate peace with the King of Wei after all?"