Chapter 421: Five Virtues

The corpses in the commandery governor's residence had only just been hauled away. It was plain to see — Wu Han was ruthless. Every single one of the former Governor's trusted followers had been slaughtered by him, down to the last man.

Yet Wu Han still chatted and laughed as if nothing had happened, stepping through bloodstains that covered the floor as he invited Kou Xun into the residence to take a seat. He truly was acting as though he were already Governor.

"Ziyan, since you are a man of Nanyang, how is it that you ended up on the northern frontier in You Province?"

Wu Han replied, "My family was poor. I served as Precinct Chief in Wancheng, and my immediate superior was none other than Ren Guang, who is now the King of Wei's Grand Minister of Agriculture. During the Xin dynasty, when a guest of mine broke the law, I too killed a man. I fled north together with him, all the way to Yuyang to escape the officials' pursuit. Afterward, I made my living as a horse trader, traveling back and forth through the lands of Yan and Ji."

He then brought up an old matter: "Two years ago, when I was still a horse trader, the King of Wei was in Wei Commandery. After receiving Ren Guang's recommendation, he sent an emissary to seek me out."

"It is only a pity that my whereabouts were uncertain at the time, and the messenger left before he could meet me."

It was during that period that Wu Han became acquainted with Gai Yan and Wang Liang, men of Yaoyang County in Yuyang. When the Great Xin collapsed, Wu Han and the two of them raised a force and rose in arms. Later, they were co-opted by the Governor of the Northern Han's Yuyang commandery, each being appointed as commandery aide or county magistrate. Military authority in the commandery was essentially in the hands of the three brothers — until today, when they overthrew their superior and killed the Governor.

"So Ziyan has such a deep connection with the King of Wei," Kou Xun said, understanding dawning. It seemed Wu Han truly intended to pledge allegiance to Wei, not to carve out his own territory and play the warlord king in these chaotic times.

And so Wu Han was quite enthusiastic about sending troops south — even more zealous than Kou Xun: "The shock cavalry of Yuyang and Shanggu are famed throughout the realm. If we can combine the elite forces of these two commanderies and support the King of Wei in striking the Tongma, that would be a deed to mark the age."

The two men hit it off at once. But when they discussed the specifics of how to wage war, a great divergence emerged.

Kou Xun proposed, "At present, five thousand Shanggu infantry and cavalry are attacking Zhuo Commandery. The King of Guangyang has transferred twenty thousand troops to defend it. Right now, the Guangyang capital, Ji City — today's Beijing — is empty. Ziyan could pretend to accept the King of Guangyang's plea for reinforcements and send troops south. If we can just enter Ji City, the Yuyang shock cavalry can take it at a single stroke!"

"Ji City occupies a commanding strategic position — backed by mountain defiles to the north, pressing down on Ji Province from the south. It is like sitting in a great hall and looking down upon the courtyard."

Taking Ji and Zhuo, then slowly pushing south step by step — this suited Kou Xun's prudent temperament.

But Wu Han was of a different character. Wu Ziyan frowned and said, "When we staged our mutiny, though we sealed off the area around Yuyang city and the other counties fell in line once they heard the news, some of the former Governor's trusted men still escaped. By now, word has likely already reached Ji City. If we cannot trick our way in through the gates, Yuyang's troops — being mainly shock cavalry — will find Ji City stoutly defended and difficult to take."

Ji City had a long history; it was the capital of Yan. Since Han times, it had been the northern metropolis between the Bohai Sea and the Jieshi Mountains — populous, with thick city walls and considerable stockpiles of grain. Liu Jie, the King of Guangyang, was of the imperial clan and utterly resolved to stand with the Han to the end; he would not be taken lightly.

"Better to exploit the speed of the shock cavalry and bypass Ji City. Didn't Ziyi say so? The King of Guangyang's main force is tied down in Zhuo Commandery. Ji City has only enough troops for defense — they cannot possibly pursue us."

Wu Han's finger tapped across the map, and Kou Xun's gaze followed its movement.

"After bypassing Ji City, we head south, following the border counties and townships between Zhuo Commandery and Bohai Commandery until we reach Hejian Commandery. And then…"

Wu Han's hand suddenly swept across the map, as if the Yuyang shock cavalry were under his command, abruptly wheeling west.

"Following the Hutuo River, we strike straight at Xiaquyang, where Liu Ziyu is!"

Kou Xun was no coward, but even he was stunned speechless. "Ziyan, that route spans several commanderies — nearly a thousand li! Even for cavalry, in this weather, it would take at least ten days."

Wu Han laughed heartily. "Exactly. A long-distance raid like this — who else but You Province's shock cavalry could pull it off?"

Kou Xun asked further, "How many troops does Ziyan intend to commit?"

Wu Han replied, "Yuyang's population is somewhat larger than Shanggu's — over fifty thousand households, more than two hundred thousand people. Shock cavalry plus auxiliary riders — I can scrape together five thousand. I will leave only a thousand to guard the home base. The remaining four thousand will all follow me south! Two men to three horses, riding in rotation."

"And how will you solve the problem of grain and fodder?" Kou Xun had managed logistics for years and knew how difficult a thousand-li raid was.

To his surprise, Wu Han answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world: "By burning, killing, and plundering along the way, of course — sustaining the army through war."

He had spoken too bluntly. Wang Liang, standing nearby, hurriedly coughed and explained, "The counties of Guangyang and Zhuo have enjoyed the King of Guangyang's protection these past two years and have not seen conflict. Because of Liu Ziyu, the Tongma have not raided north either. Countless prosperous villages await — the common folk will come bearing jugs and carrying broth, ready to feed the men and horses of the You Province shock cavalry."

"Those people are still under Liu Ziyu's rule, so they are enemy subjects. One zhong of grain taken from the enemy is worth ten zhong of our own. Why be so scrupulous, putting on a show of false benevolence?"

Wu Han, however, did not appreciate the help. He turned to Wang Liang and said, "Junyan, you will stay behind and guard the home base."

Then he addressed Gai Yan: "Juqing, you are well acquainted with the stalwarts of Youbeiping. Make a trip there for me. Tell them the King of Wei is conscripting cavalry from all ten commanderies of You Province to march south and lend support. Shanggu and Yuyang have already mobilized. Youbeiping had best not hesitate — otherwise, once Hebei is pacified, the King of Wei will use us as his vanguard and turn his army north to demand an accounting!"

Wait a moment — Diwu Lun had only conscripted the troops of Shanggu. Since when had he sent out conscription orders to all ten commanderies of You Province? This Wu Han's audacity was truly beyond imagining. Kou Xun was dumbfounded. Even Geng Yan, the young master of Shanggu, could not match him!

Kou Xun hastily tried to dissuade him: "Ziyan, inviting Youbeiping and the others to send troops is one thing, but for the Yuyang shock cavalry to strike south alone — that is still far too reckless."

For one, he still believed the odds of success were slim. For another, if Wu Han somehow succeeded, then their Shanggu shock cavalry would have been foolishly tying down a powerful enemy in Zhuo Commandery for Wu Ziyan's sake — all to help him achieve a peerless feat of glory?

But Wu Han was merely informing his neighbor of his decision. His mind was made up. He laughed and said, "Since even the King of Wei did not think of it, and even Ziyi did not anticipate it, then wouldn't Liu Ziyu and the Tongma be even more oblivious?"

Having already pledged allegiance to the King of Wei far too late compared to the founding veterans, if he wanted to attract notice, he would have to be the sharpest awl — not even waiting to be placed in the bag, but piercing straight through the Northern Han's heart!

"A true man wins merit across a thousand li to seek a noble title and a general's command — the day is now!"

…

Wu Han planned to raise troops from Yuyang and make big news in Hebei. Meanwhile, in his target city of Xiaquyang, the Successor Emperor Liu Ziyu was also at his wits' end, frowning over a map.

"Though We have thumbed through the volumes of Wu Sunzi's Art of War countless times, applying them in practice remains exceedingly difficult."

Looking back at the miracles Liu Ziyu had pulled off over the past half year and more — whether persuading the Tongma to submit with a lone horse, or turning hostility into amity with Liu Yang, the King of Zhending — every one of them had relied on carrying a gall as big as a bushel, exploiting men's desires, swaying them with words, and personally throwing himself into the fray. Only by such strokes of luck had he succeeded.

But once war with the Wei army began, the enemy would not swallow that routine.

The eastern front had been defeated. Li Zhong had betrayed Liu Ziyu and surrendered Xindu to Wei. The Tongma's remnant troops could only fall back to defend Changcheng County, teetering on the brink under Ma Yuan's assaults, able to do nothing but avoid battle. Fortunately for them, Ma Yuan's rear was harassed by the Chengtou Zilu bandits, so he could not fully free his hands to advance westward in force.

The western front was faring no better. The King of Zhending and the Tongma were at odds. A few days earlier, while attempting a flanking raid on Jing Dan's grain depot, they had fallen into an ambush and lost several thousand men. Fortunately, their forces were numerous enough that they could flee back to the pass, hold it to the death, and still manage to hang on.

On the northern front, the King of Guangyang, though steadily retreating before the Shanggu infantry and cavalry's onslaught, was at least using his numbers to fend off a smaller force and could barely hold his ground.

And on the southern front — the only one where they were on the offensive — a hundred thousand troops had been blocked by Geng Chun's thirty thousand men, who held the advantageous terrain. Their momentum was utterly stifled; their edge had been blunted, yet they could not advance a single pace.

All of Liu Ziyu's talents for bluff and deception were utterly useless in a war that demanded hard power clashing against hard power. He could only fret helplessly.

"The highest art of war is to attack the enemy's plans; the next is to attack his alliances; the next is to attack his army; the lowest is to attack his walled cities. The Art of War makes it sound simple, but now that it has come to this, where are there still plans or alliances for Us to attack?"

Liu Ziyu had made attempts in the domain he excelled at. His greatest achievement had been bringing the Chengtou Zilu bandits into his own camp. But as for the enemy's generals — Ma Yuan, Geng Chun, Jing Dan, Geng Kuang, and the rest — there was absolutely no reason for Liu Ziyu to talk them into betraying the King of Wei.

The enemy was practically a solid sheet of iron. By contrast, under Liu Ziyu's own command, the Zhending faction and the Tongma faction had no unified chain of command. He could only mediate between them, and he was utterly exhausted in body and spirit.

"The winter snows have already fallen. Even if it comes down to a war of attrition, We will be the first who cannot afford to drag this out."

Though the Tongma were numerous, their grain was limited. The front-line army's provisions were already critically tight. The Wei army, on the other hand, was receiving a steady flow of grain from Wei Commandery and Henei. In ten days at most, the southern front's hundred thousand Tongma would exhaust their supplies and have no choice but to pull back.

Just as the gloom was at its thickest, a piece of good news was at last delivered to Liu Ziyu's desk.

"Your Majesty, your servant has sent men to test it — Dalu Marsh is about to freeze over!"

The man requesting orders was none other than Zhang Wen, the chieftain of the Wulou bandits. It was he who had first encountered Liu Ziyu when the latter fled into exile. This unruly, indomitable chieftain had gradually become a believer in Liu Ziyu, convinced that following this emperor could give the Tongma and the roving bandits a path to survival.

With all sides blocked, Zhang Wen put forward a bold proposal.

"It is said that Diwu Lun is in Julu City, with Dalu Marsh to the north as his barrier. Now the edges of the marsh waters are freezing over. There is a small path through the marsh that leads straight to the walls of Julu City."

"Your servant has spent years pillaging along the shores of Dalu Marsh and knows the terrain well. I am willing to take several thousand dare-to-die soldiers, slip in through the marsh, and strike directly at the King of Wei's temporary headquarters!"

"The Wei army's provisions are mostly stockpiled at Julu. Even if we cannot break the city and capture or kill Diwu Lun, we can still set their grain ablaze and crush their morale."

This proposal made Liu Ziyu rally his spirits. "The Wei army still has not unified its uniforms and insignia. Most of them use yellow scarves as markers, and their clothing is of every color. We have already ordered men to prepare large quantities of these items and to forge their banners and insignia, so we can pose as Wei troops. With these, General, you should be able to approach the vicinity of Julu."

If they could just make Julu sound the alarm, perhaps they could force Geng Chun and Ma Yuan to wheel around and race back to the rescue. That would lift the crisis on the eastern front, and the great army on the southern front might then achieve a breakthrough!

Liu Ziyu immediately ordered Zhang Wen to take his own four thousand troops and march south on the first day of the twelfth month. After reaching Guang'a County in Julu Commandery, they replenished their grain, fodder, and winter clothing one last time, then braved the bitter cold and entered the Great Land Marsh, now parched by winter.

The severe cold had frozen the marsh's outer edges rock-solid; the once muddy bogs were hard underfoot. Yet there were places not fully frozen, where a soldier would step into emptiness and plunge through — even if pulled out, he would be half dead from the cold.

Only such a perilous route could let them approach the King of Wei's temporary residence without a soul knowing!

On the second day of the march, there was no path ahead, and wading across the lake through ice water of deadly cold was impossible. Zhang Wen had a portion of his men row boats across where the water was not frozen, while the main force wrapped yellow scarves around their heads, raised yellow banners, and, posing as Wei patrol troops, crept along the marsh's edge by a narrow track.

Yet they had gone barely a dozen li when they ran into a patrol of "friendly troops" ahead.

Zhang Wen warned his men: "Do nothing rash. When we get close, try to see if we can fool them. If not, then spring up and strike!"

But the other side, having only spotted Zhang Wen's force from a distance, immediately beat drums to raise the alarm, drawing Wei troops patrolling around the Great Land Marsh to converge on them.

Seeing that they were exposed, Zhang Wen fought for a while but could gain no advantage. He could only withdraw resentfully back into the marsh, planning to do what roving bandits did best — lead his men to tie down the Wei forces here. As for how much effect it would have, only heaven knew.

He was merely puzzled: why had the other side known at a single glance that they were not genuine?

"General, the banners and insignia of the Wei troops around Julu City are indeed different from those everywhere else."

Zhang Wen had observed it too. The personal troops of the King of Wei around Julu City carried five-colored banners: red, yellow, blue-green, white, and black. Though the soldiers still wrapped yellow scarves around their foreheads as usual, they now wore armbands on their sleeves, and the color was randomly changed every day. Even if one went to the trouble of forging five-colored banners, one could never guess which color armband the next day's patrol would wear — surely one could not prepare all five kinds just in case!

"Diwu Lun is truly cunning."

Zhang Wen, at his wits' end, could only gaze from afar at the heavily guarded Julu City and sigh. But what he did not know was that Diwu Lun's tinkering with banners and armbands had, besides guarding against the Tongma posing as them to launch a surprise attack, a political reason as well.

…

It turned out that a few days earlier, Diwu Lun had heard the news that Gongsun Shu had declared himself the White Emperor and founded a state called "Chengjia." While he regretted that "Wei, Shu, and Wu could not make a complete set," he also laughed scornfully at how Gongsun Shu could not wait to contest him for the virtue of Metal.

"Gongsun Shu — what a small mind."

"From ancient times to the present, every dynasty has concerned itself with the cycle of the Five Virtues, their mutual generation and mutual conquest. It has always been that the Five Virtues proceed from what one cannot overcome: Yu was Earth, Xia was Wood, Yin was Metal, Zhou was Fire, Qin was Water. When Han arose, the Han house debated for decades whether its virtue was Water, Earth, or Fire. In the end, Wang Mang fixed the Han virtue as Fire; thus the Xin Dynasty was born from the embers of Fire, and so its virtue is Earth."

Yes — since that "Earth generates Metal" formula had been snatched by Gongsun Shu, Wood conquering Earth was not bad either. So was the King of Wei to fix his virtue as Wood and become the Green Emperor? The only trouble was that Wood could be conquered by Metal, and it might also generate the virtue of Fire that the various Han claimants had assigned themselves — that would be falling right into Gongsun Shu's trap…

Diwu Lun, however, said: "Wang Mang and Liu Xin were devout believers in the five-element arts. Because the Jing River changed its course, they became convinced that Water was being overwhelmed by Earth, and so they chose an inopportune moment to attack the Xiongnu, draining the state's strength until it finally perished."

"Gongsun Shu fails to recognize the overturned cart ahead. He continues to honor this doctrine of the Five Virtues' cycle, playing his petty little tricks. In my view, he is not far from destruction either!"

If one entangled oneself in the Five Virtues and Five Elements, would that not be sinking to the same level as Gongsun Shu and Wang Mang?

And so Diwu Lun made a grand declaration: "In my person, gentleness, goodness, courtesy, moderation, and deference are all complete." Only loyalty was absent.

"The generals, ministers, and officials of Wei are likewise complete in wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage, and strictness."

"The Earth of Yu, the Wood of Xia, the Metal of Yin, the Fire of Zhou, the Water of Qin, and even Han and Xin — all are succeeded by me. In virtue, why should I not take all Five Virtues and use them?"

All those rules about the cycle of the Five Virtues — spare him the lecture. In Diwu Lun's eyes, these things were, to put it plainly, nothing but "settings."

The "Hongfan Five Elements" from the Yin-Zhou transition designed one set; the Yin-Yang school's Zou Yan and others in the Warring States period introduced innovations and devised another set; by the time of Liu Xin, to prove his own theories, he invented yet another new set. Looking at it all in sequence, the truth was clear: it was merely a game of deciding the conclusion first, then altering the theory to fit — reversing cause and effect.

In any case, the result Diwu Lun wanted was right here. The rest could be left to the divination masters and fangshi adepts to worry about. In the end, they would always manage to strain interpretations and twist connections, plucking phrases from the classics to endorse this absurd reality, and invent a plausible new five-element theory — until the next dynasty overturned it with new settings.

And so Diwu Lun did what neither the First Emperor of Qin nor Emperor Wu of Han had dared to do: he dispensed with the Five Virtues!

"I do not contest the virtue of Metal with Gongsun Shu, nor do I fix a single virtue or color for this dynasty."

"The Five Virtues and Five Colors — I want them all! Henceforth, let the banners be of five colors, and the capitals be five capitals!"