Chapter 432: Cheating

Back then, when Diwu Lun heard that Liu Xiu had fought the Battle of Hefei and routed the self-proclaimed "hundred-thousand-strong army" of the Prince of Huainan, Li Xian, at Leisure Ford with a mere eight thousand Danyang troops, he had dismissed it as "cheating."

In truth, in his heart, he had long regarded Liu Xiu as a fellow "cheater."

Yet over the past half year and more, Diwu Lun had not paused for a moment: he seized the Xiao and Hangu passes, took Wu Pass, occupied Shangdang, secured Taiyuan, advanced on Luoyang, pacified the capital region internally, and repelled the Xiongnu externally. Finally, he mobilized a hundred thousand troops and spent four months conquering all of Hebei, where his advance swept all before him; the two-thousand-bushel officials of You and Ji provinces either rose in revolt or surrendered, bowing their heads in submission.

In total, he had seized two and a half provinces and over twenty commanderies — truly far too slow.

And what of Liu Xiu? How swift he was! Half a year had passed, yet he was still circling in a single corner of Huainan, having accomplished almost nothing externally.

The reason? Naturally, expanding too rapidly had led to troubles both within and without.

Every time he thought of how, in this great age of contention, half a year's time had been squandered like this, Liu Xiu's "Grand Minister of Agriculture," Zhu You, would wring his hands and sigh.

"Who could have imagined that Li Xian, Prince of Huainan, could rely on a single city and hold out from summer into autumn for a full four months!"

Li Xian had served as a two-thousand-bushel official in Lujiang for many years and had some foundation. Although his main force was annihilated at Hefei, he still held fast to his old stronghold, Shu County, with deep moats and high ramparts, keeping the banner of the Prince of Huainan flying for a long time. Liu Xiu could only personally lead thirty thousand troops from the four commanderies of Jianghuai to besiege him, repeatedly issuing challenges.

Though Li Xian's troop strength was no less than Liu Xiu's, he remembered the Prince of Wu's god-of-war bearing at Hefei and, having learned his lesson, stayed firmly behind his walls, counting on Liang Han to intervene.

It was not until the end of the twelfth month, when the city's food was exhausted, that Li Xian was forced to break out. Liu Xiu then personally led troops to attack him, beheaded Li Xian, seized Shu City, and pursued his partisans.

At this point, from Liu Xiu's crossing of the Huai River southward to the present, after a year and a half of campaigning, the lands of Jianghuai were finally completely pacified.

But much time had been wasted in this period. Liu Xiu's already limited forces were tied down at Shu County, allowing the Shanyue in the Kuaiji and Danyang regions to seize the chance to stir up trouble, threatening the Prince of Wu's rear. He could only dispatch generals with troops to suppress them. The Shanyue were highly mobile; they would not attack county towns but instead slip into the forests, leaving the Han army helpless.

Even more critical was the external situation: although Liang Han was also riddled with problems, that scoundrel Liu Yong, instead of attacking Diwu Lun and the Red Eyebrows in the Central Plains, had chosen to engage in internecine Liu clan strife. Also claiming a host of "a hundred thousand," he had reached the banks of the Huai River at the start of the first month.

Liu Xiu, who had just taken Shu City, was shocked by this news and had to lead his exhausted army, which had not rested all winter, northward. Although the two sides had yet to engage, they faced off across the Huai River, and tensions were already at sword-point.

The only consolation was that the various clans of Wuhui had decided to stand with the Prince of Wu, because he had brought protection and stability to this land. The powerful families of Huainan had also been moved by Liu Xiu's generous governance and were willing to provide some retainers and assistance.

At this moment, Zhu You was escorting dozens of boats carrying troops from Kuaiji. Along the way, they also loaded rice from Guangling Commandery and followed the Han Canal to the front lines, arriving at their final destination, Huaiyin County (present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu).

Stationed here was the taciturn Commandant of Linhuai, Zang Gong. As soon as Zhu You reached Huaiyin, he found the atmosphere different, far more tense and on alert than the last time. Zang Gong, concise as ever, told him dire news.

"Dong Wang, Dong Xian, has marched south from Donghai Commandery. The Prince of Sishui surrendered to him, and General Ma Wu was forced to withdraw."

Zhu You was stunned, then cursed: "What a fine Prince of Sishui! Last year, when he was besieged by a Red Eyebrow detachment, our great prince sent troops across the Huai to rescue him. Truly, he repays kindness with treachery!"

As a minor feudal lord in the Jianghuai region, the Sishui Kingdom governed only three counties, but its geographical position was critically important — it was the junction of the Bian and Si rivers and a hub for boats and carts. With the Sishui Kingdom in place, Huaiyin, the pivotal grain transfer hub for the Wu army, could still be shielded. Now that the Sishui Kingdom was lost, Huaiyin lay exposed to the enemy's line of sight!

But no matter how much Zhu You cursed the Prince of Sishui, the deed was done. For the prince, it was simple: north or south, they were all surnamed Liu — what difference did it make whom he submitted to?

"How many troops does Dong Xian have?"

"Coming from Donghai Commandery, perhaps thirty thousand strong."

"Liu Yong controls the richest and most populous lands east of the Passes. One of his commanderies can match several in Jianghuai. The troops and conscripted laborers under his command number at least sixty thousand."

"The two sides combined are close to a hundred thousand. It seems he is not merely boasting."

The Liang army was at least three times the size of the Wu army, which filled Zhu You with deep worry.

But there was good news too: the Guandong naval forces trained in the Liang Gardens were useless. Every time they tried to cross the Huai River, they were utterly routed by the Wu army's boats, whose crews had seen the wind and waves of the Great River.

The Prince of Wu's Naval Commandant was Gualin Li — the river bandit who had once been intent on betraying Liu Xiu had now completely pledged his loyalty to him. One warship after another, their stiff sails patched like a beggar's rags, cruised the Huai River. A navy unmatched under Heaven — this was the pride of the Jiangdong people.

As long as the Liang army could not cross for now, it was fine. Zhu You thus continued escorting the troops and grain westward, passed the Huai-Si confluence, and arrived at Xuyi City, where Liu Xiu's main camp was located.

Xuyi had once been the capital of King Huai of Chu and was now the new administrative seat of Linhuai Commandery after its relocation south. The military camp was set up along the river outside the city. The soldiers, still not recovered from the exhaustion of the bitter Huainan campaign, had been dragged into yet another war where they were outnumbered, and there was no shortage of grumbling.

But what puzzled Zhu You was that he had received an urgent order from Liu Xiu on the road, instructing him to leave the fresh troops and grain south of the city and not to enter the camp.

Only after Zhu You entered the city did he learn that Liu Xiu was receiving an envoy from the "Jianshi Emperor," Liu Yong!

Zhu You immediately headed for the commandery office. The general and personal guards at the gate recognized him, and no one stopped him. He went all the way to a spot near the main hall, only to see Feng Yi, Wang Chang, Fu Jun, Ma Cheng, and others all waiting outside.

As Zhu You approached the door, he could hear the envoy's shrill, refined speech, laced with a Liang regional accent, brimming with arrogance!

"The Jianshi Emperor controls the lands of Yan, Xu, Yu, and Qing — one-third of all under Heaven. He has two hundred thousand troops at his command and a thousand officers in his ranks. Like a dragon poised to strike or a tiger fixing its gaze, he can swallow the north of the Huai in a single gulp. To then take the lands of Huainan and Wuhui would be as easy as flipping over one's palm."

This was exaggeration. Most of the territory Liu Yong boasted about was nominally subordinate to him and did not count.

"However, the Sage Son of Heaven personally practices benevolence and righteousness and cannot bear to seize the enterprise of a kinsman. Therefore, he has sent me here, merely hoping that Your Highness will not hesitate but will swiftly send a reply!"

The envoy had spoken both the carrot and the stick, but Liu Xiu replied with great humility: "Earlier, when the Gengshi Emperor's whereabouts were unknown, Xiu acted as regent. Since my former sovereign is still alive, I dared not serve two masters at once for a time..."

And now, it had been confirmed that Liu Xuan had fled to the lands of Jingnan. That fellow had actually relied on the remnants of the Greenwood troops, advanced from the E region, and seized the three commanderies of Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang — a miracle in itself. Originally, this was not good news for Liu Xiu, but it now served as an excuse to decline Liang Han's demands.

The envoy, however, raised his voice: "Liu Xuan is unworthy of being emperor. The Jianshi Emperor has already deposed him. Your Highness need have no further misgivings."

"Previously, Your Highness wrote in reply, saying that brothers may quarrel at home but unite against external insult, and that you were willing to join the Emperor in attacking the Red Eyebrows. That is correct. But since we are one family, there must be distinctions of rank and seniority. These must first be clarified before we can unite against the national enemy. By generational order, the Emperor is willing to honor Your Highness with the title of 'Imperial Uncle.' Yet Your Highness has still not declared yourself a subject of the Jianshi Emperor. What sort of protocol is this?"

"Your Highness need not be overly suspicious. If you submit, you will be re-enfeoffed as the Prince of Yue. Although Your Highness would withdraw from Jianghuai, you could preserve peace for the people of Wuhui. Beyond the three commanderies of Jiangdong, the Emperor could even enfeoff Your Highness with the four commanderies of Jingnan and the nine commanderies of Jiaozhou, allowing you to rule south of the River!"

This was being generous at others' expense! These words made the men at the door exchange glances. Some were filled with righteous indignation, while others breathed a sigh of relief, for with the fall of the Greenwood Han, not a few felt that the House of Han could not be revived and that Wei Lun could not be swiftly eliminated.

With the manpower and resources of Jiangdong, facing the powerful Liang Han and the Red Eyebrows, a northern expedition would indeed be difficult. It would be better to stand as a tripod in Jiangdong and watch for the realm's fractures.

Hadn't Deng Yu proposed just last month, "Huainan will soon be settled, but we cannot yet strike Liang Han. I beg permission to first march west to take Jingnan, and then ally with Deng Feng and Chu Li to hold Xiangyang and press the Red Eyebrows"? The Prince of Wu had adopted this and taken several thousand men to Jiangxia.

Right now, in the Huainan region, Li Xian's remnants were still causing chaos. The Wu army was exhausted and likely could not withstand the Liang army. It would be safer to abandon the area and retreat to defend Jiangdong.

But the key still lay in Liu Xiu's attitude. After a long silence, Liu Xiu finally spoke.

"The envoy's words are reasonable."

"Xiu will go north in the coming days to meet with the Jianshi Emperor and establish the rites between sovereign and subject!"

"Your Highness!"

As soon as the envoy was led away by Feng Yi, the generals who had been listening by the back door rushed into the hall in fury, venting their incomprehension.

Fu Jun, who had always been utterly loyal to Liu Xiu and had a fiery temper, was the first to speak: "Your Highness! We crossed south and fought north — how can there be a surrender before a battle is even fought? At Hefei, Li Xian claimed to have a hundred thousand troops, but were they not swept away by Your Highness? Now Liu Yong boasts double that number, so what? Why fear him? Your Highness is the one who defeated Wang Mang's three hundred thousand troops at Kunyang!"

Zhu You also stepped forward to express his confusion: "Your Highness, when we were stranded in Liang City with no prospects, Your Highness did not despair but harbored the will of a rising dragon. Later, when we met disaster north of the Huai and Chen Jun died a martyr's death, Your Highness still led us south across the Huai River and ultimately carved out a foundation."

"Now, though Liu Yong's forces are numerous, they have come from afar and are unaccustomed to the climate. Though our army is weary, we are mostly natives of Jianghuai, skilled with boats and ships, and we still have the natural barrier of the Huai River. We can certainly fight! But if we content ourselves with retreating to defend Jiangdong, even if we truly gain Jingnan and Jiaozhou, we will forever lose the chance to advance into the Central Plains and revive the House of Han! Has Your Highness forgotten your former ambitions?"

Ma Cheng, the Army Protector Commandant, was far more blunt: "I have not read books, but I have always hoped that Your Highness would proclaim himself emperor. To put it plainly, we abandoned our families and relatives and ran to the southeast to follow Your Highness in battle precisely to cling to the dragon's scales and attach ourselves to the phoenix's wings, to achieve success, enjoy wealth and honor, and one day fight our way back to Nanyang. But instead of proclaiming himself emperor, Your Highness wants to declare himself a subject to Liu Yong. I fear the men will be disappointed and scatter. Once the host scatters, it will be hard to reunite!"

Wang Chang, the Greenwood chieftain who had once fought Jing Dan at Tongyuan, thought Liu Xiu was holding back out of concern: "Could it be that Your Highness is unwilling to fight against your own clan and therefore wishes to yield?"

He brought up the pain that had always lingered in Liu Xiu's heart: "Has Your Highness forgotten the lesson of how your elder brother, Liu Bosheng, took a step back when the imperial throne was being decided, and from then on could never act with full legitimacy, and was ultimately forced away by Liu Xuan?"

"I have not forgotten."

When Fu Jun and Zhu You were speaking, Liu Xiu had only smiled without answering. When Ma Cheng made his blunt remark, he gave a wry smile. Only after Wang Chang had finished did his expression turn solemn, and he gave his first reply.

"Whether it is my aspirations or my elder brother's disastrous precedent — how could I possibly forget?"

At that moment, Feng Yi also returned. The general whom Liu Xiu trusted most reported to the King of Wu: "Great King, Liu Yong's envoy passed by our encampment and crossed by the docks. He has already seen the true state of our camp."

What true state? Zhu You immediately recalled that Liu Xiu had deliberately ordered him to hide the fresh troops and grain supplies south of the city. But now, the camp was filled only with the old, weak, sick, and wounded, along with rows of empty granaries... This indeed matched Liu Yong's assumption that Liu Xiu had just concluded the Huainan campaign and that his army and people were exhausted.

Liu Xiu nodded. "What was the envoy's expression like?"

Feng Yi, meticulous as always, replied: "His face betrayed nothing, but inwardly he was secretly pleased. He kept glancing around, and his steps grew lighter. I also saw him smile once after boarding the boat, as if relieved."

Liu Xiu clapped his hands. "In that case, this will make Liu Yong even more convinced that I seek peace and a truce, and am willing to cede Huainan!"

By now, everyone else had caught on. Feigning weakness, pretending to yield — was the Great King about to...

"Exactly!"

Liu Xiu rose proudly, hand on his sword, and declared: "Earlier, when I ordered Deng Yu to lead troops west to attack Jiangxia, it was precisely to avoid direct confrontation with Liu Yong, hoping that all men of the Liu clan could set aside grudges and first unite against outside enemies."

"But Liu Yong ignored my goodwill. Jealous of worth and ability, he left the nearby state enemy unattacked, yet fretted that I would contend with him for the Han imperial throne and the lands east of the passes. He brazenly invaded south, causing grief to our own and joy to our foes."

"Since Liu Yong was the first to abandon righteousness, he cannot blame me for being ruthless. The lands of the Jianghuai region were won with the blood and sweat of countless soldiers. I will not yield a single inch. I shall fight him in a decisive bloody battle and meet him face to face on the field!"

Liu Xiu swept his gaze over the assembly and smiled. "Did I not say it? I am willing to establish the rites between lord and vassal with Liu Yong. Those were not empty words."

"It means: he shall be the vassal, and I shall be the lord!"

……

PS: Tomorrow's updates are still at 18:00 and 23:00.