Chapter 434: Guo and Ye

Now, during the half-year that Diwu Lun was campaigning in Hebei and Liu Xiu was operating in Huainan, the other major power in the Central Plains — the Red Eyebrow Army — had also recovered after receiving grain supplies from Nanyang.

Unlike before, when they would strip a place bare and immediately move on, this time the Red Eyebrows halted in Nanyang, Runan, and Yingchuan. Yingchuan, Wancheng, and Runan were all populous commanderies, with a combined pre-war population of over six million. After several years of chaos, the number of households had halved, but there were still three to four million people. How to govern such a large population was a major problem confronting the Red Eyebrows.

Fortunately, they still had Wang Mang — he possessed the invaluable experience of having governed sixty million subjects across the realm!

Throughout the entire autumn and winter of last year, Wang Mang had been busy with the matter of "land distribution."

If it had been up to Wang Mang's ideals, it would absolutely have been the perfectly egalitarian well-field system, with every person receiving the same amount of land. It was only thanks to the Red Eyebrow Army's second-in-command, Xu Xuan, arguing forcefully on solid grounds that, with Fan the Giant as the final authority, Wang Mang proposed the vision and Xu Xuan carried it out — which greatly diminished Wang Mang's ideal and prevented it from achieving absolute equality.

Xu Xuan tangled with Wang Mang over every single detail: "Old Farmer, you say tenant farming is forbidden. That means the Red Eyebrow fighters must till the land themselves. If they till the land themselves, they can't go off to war in distant places — they'll be tied to Nanyang forever."

The final compromise was this: the Giants and chieftains still received large estates, while the Red Eyebrow fighters were given priority for better farmland of one hundred mu. Wang Mang, ever most adept at renaming affairs and places, used Zhou-era terminology and called them "Guoren" — citizens of the realm. The Guoren were all die-hard Red Eyebrows, who bore the duty of fighting to defend the Republic.

Next came the slaves who had actively responded to the Red Eyebrows, along with commoners and small landholding peasants. They generally received thirty mu, and the land was somewhat poorer. Wang Mang called them "Yeren" — wild men. Aside from farming their own plots, the Yeren also had to labor on the well-fields, and when the Guoren went on campaign, they had to help the Guoren's families manage the farming.

Wait — isn't this still tenant farming?

"Tenant farmers are tenant farmers, wild men are wild men. The names are different — how could they be the same?" Wang Mang did not see it that way. Tenant farmers had to give sixty or seventy percent of their harvest as rent to the landlord, but the wild men did not. They only needed to cultivate the public fields and help the Guoren with farm work — the ancient tithe of one-tenth was sufficient.

No one in the Red Eyebrow Army understood what this "Guo-Ye" distinction meant. Only Zheng Jing, a great Confucian scholar under Xu Xuan who knew Wang Mang's identity but had kept silent about it, understood the reason: "When Wang Jujun was Emperor, he imitated the Western Zhou's Six Districts and Six Suburbs system and created the Six Wei and Six Dui. Now that he's reviving the Guo-Ye distinction again, it's hardly surprising."

This system finally passed the scrutiny of Fan the Giant and Xu Xuan and was implemented. But the Red Eyebrow Army had virtually no scholar-officials — even land surveys were done by members of the Liu clan from the prisoner-of-war camp. What the final result would look like, and how much injustice it would breed, no one could say.

Everything would only become clear in the summer and autumn of the coming year, when the Red Eyebrows organized tax collection for the first time!

But this manipulation had one direct consequence: since the Red Eyebrows decreed that households with more than nine qing of land must surrender the excess, the powerful families who owned hundreds or thousands of qing were now locked in a fight to the death with the Red Eyebrows. In every county on the fringes of Nanyang, there were those who resisted stubbornly from their strongholds.

Unfortunately, although the Nanyang powerful families were deeply entrenched, they could not withstand having just been ravaged by war and had not yet recovered their strength. The Li clan of Wancheng, the Lai clan of Xinye, the Fan clan of Huyang, and the Liu clan of Chongling had all fled eastward one after another to join Liu Xiu. Only a few prominent surnames remained to defend their homeland, led by Deng Feng, who swore to protect the property their families had passed down for generations. Fierce fighting broke out at every fortified manor.

But in the end, they could not hold back the Red Eyebrow Army's overwhelming numbers. Finally, even Deng Feng was forced to abandon indefensible Xinye and retreat south to the Han River and Xiangyang line, throwing in his lot with the King of Chuli.

When word reached Wancheng, Wang Mang was quite self-satisfied, believing his proposal to "abolish slavery" had achieved this success.

"Did I not say so? Once slavery is abolished, taking the counties of Nanyang is as easy as turning over one's hand."

Wang Mang had done the math: to control the number of private slaves, during the reign of Emperor Ai of Han, the Han dynasty had issued a slave restriction edict — feudal kings were limited to two hundred slaves; Marquises and Princesses, one hundred; and Marquis within the Passes, officials, and commoners, thirty.

The Former Han's officialdom, from Assistant Scribes to the Chancellor, numbered around one hundred twenty thousand; there were twenty-eight feudal kings, and the number of Marquises was maintained at two to three hundred. Calculated this way, even if these over one hundred thousand "meat-eaters" strictly followed the slave restriction edict, they still possessed over three million slaves.

In Nanyang, the houses of the powerful stood row upon row by the hundreds, their fertile fields filled the countryside, their slaves came in herds of a thousand, and their dependent laborers numbered in the tens of thousands. Altogether, their slaves also numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

Once the slave emancipation decree was issued, many former slaves, hoping to receive the land the Red Eyebrows had promised, did indeed betray their masters. Along with those struggling in abject poverty on the left side of the village lanes, they actively guided the Red Eyebrows and pointed out routes, assisting in the assault on various fortified manors. Wang Mang roughly estimated that at least tens of thousands of slaves joined in and became a fresh fighting force for the Red Eyebrows.

This, however, troubled the Red Eyebrow Elders: "Should these slaves be counted as Guoren or Yeren?"

"Make them Yeren. Lord Xu has said that even within the Red Eyebrows, there must be a Guo-Ye distinction. Red Eyebrows who speak the dialects of Qing, Xu, and Yan provinces are Guoren; those who speak the Wancheng-Runan dialect and others are still Yeren."

Yet what Wang Mang failed to calculate was that wealthy and even middle-income households also commonly kept slaves. This decree thoroughly offended them. Fortunately, because it was difficult to enforce, once you left Wancheng, it became a dead letter. Xu Xuan also instructed the Elders and Attendant Officers tasked with carrying it out to turn a blind eye. And so, throughout Nanyang, within a single winter, slaves were no longer called slaves but were referred to as "household members, household women, foster sons, and foster daughters."

The Republic, slave emancipation, land distribution — these three opening moves of Wang Mang's brought some changes to the Red Eyebrows, created new possibilities, and also sowed many hidden perils. But he still could not solve the most pressing problem: with several hundred thousand more Red Eyebrow mouths to feed, Nanyang's grain was being consumed at a furious pace. As winter was drawing to an end, Xu Xuan reported this fact to Fan Chong.

The last fortified manor had been taken the previous month, but they had not managed to seize much grain from it — the Red Eyebrows had a rule that the battalion which took a manor could keep half the grain for itself, while the other half went to the common store, called "handing over public grain." But the battalions had kept quite a lot for themselves.

Even if it had all been handed over to the common store as required, the granaries were nearly empty.

"After years of war, even the powerful families have no surplus grain. What's more, there are now almost no great clans left to strike in Nanyang, Runan, and Yingchuan."

Sweeping the powerful families clean from three entire commanderies — such a mad undertaking was something even Diwu Lun had not had the resolve to do. Only the combination of Fan Chong and Wang Mang could pull it off.

Fan Chong nodded. Other leaders, upon hearing there was no grain, would likely be too worried to sleep. But the Red Eyebrows were never like that. Whenever they faced this situation, Fan the Giant would say:

"Time to move the nest!"

The Red Eyebrows believed in the simple truth that while a tree dies if moved, a man lives. But unlike in the past, when the entire group would uproot and roam as bandits, this time Fan Chong decided to hold onto their base in Wancheng, Yingchuan, and Runan, and send an army out on campaign — otherwise, wouldn't the land distribution have been for nothing!

But on the question of where to strike, a dispute arose within the Red Eyebrow leadership.

"We should strike south!"

Xu Xuan said, "South of Nanyang lies Jiangxia and Nan Commandery. I hear they are rich lands — we could feed ourselves on the grain of the Jiang and Han rivers. Moreover, since they are close to Nanyang, with the Three Gorges as a natural barrier to the west, the Great River bounding the south, and the Dabie and Xiaobie Mountains to the east, if we seize them, we can hold them."

"No, we should strike north!"

Wang Mang sang a contrary tune to Xu Xuan. He had not forgotten who had stabbed him in the back back then. Now that Diwu Lun had nearly unified the north, it was time to make him pay the price.

But because Wang Mang was not well-versed in military matters, he signaled Cui Fa, who had also managed to blend into the Red Eyebrow Army as a "Military Advisor," to elaborate.

Cui Fa acknowledged the order and opened with a startling statement: "From Nanyang, enter Wu Pass and take Guanzhong — this was the old route by which Han Gaozu destroyed Qin. Why should the Red Eyebrows not emulate it?"

Xu Xuan said, "Do not think I haven't read the books. You only mention Han Gaozu's path to success — why not mention how King Huai of Chu entered Wu Pass and was badly defeated by the Qin army at Lantian? What's more, that Wei general Cen Peng is guarding Wu Pass so tightly that not even a drop of water can leak through. Can we even fight our way in?"

Cen Peng had become the regional commander Diwu Lun had placed in the south, holding Wu Pass. The Red Eyebrows had sent a western expeditionary force to try a few times, but they never even made it past the Dan River before Cen Peng drove them back, let alone reached the walls of Wu Pass.

But he was in no hurry to expand into Nanyang either; instead, he was slowly opening up military farms across the six-hundred-li stretch of Shang and Yu.

Cui Fa retorted: "Then Lord Xu's proposed southern campaign is also unsuitable. Our southern expeditionary army also fought its way to the vicinity of Xiangyang, only to be defeated and forced back by the King of Chuli and Deng Feng."

"Even if we don't attack Wu Pass, we should still march north from Yingchuan, cross Songgao, and head for Luoyang!"

"Luoyang is the center of the realm. Only by seizing the He-Luo region can we awe all under Heaven."

But this route was no easier. Diwu Lun had left Dou Rong to garrison Luoyang, with Zheng Tong defending the passes south of the He-Luo region, such as Yique. The Red Eyebrows' northern expeditionary force had also gained no advantage.

It was Fan Chong who rapped the table and halted this fruitless debate: "What we lack right now is grain! The Red Eyebrow fighters can't storm fortified passes on empty stomachs."

Fan the Giant laid out his idea: "In my view, we'd be better off striking east!"

"Sally forth from Yingchuan and Runan, take Huaiyang and Chenliu, and finally fight our way into the Liang region!"

Unlike the south, west, and north, the east was a vast, flat plain. Apart from a few rivers, there were no mountain or river defenses that could stop the Red Eyebrows from sweeping across Yu Province!

But didn't the Red Eyebrows never retrace their steps?

Fan Chong's thinking, however, was slightly different from before: "We've made a great loop through the Central Plains and left behind many brothers and sisters in Yan Province and Yu Province. Now we've finally settled in Wancheng and Runan, distributed land, and have good days to live. But the Red Eyebrows in other places have been exploited by the Liu surname — their chieftains have become princes, kings, ministers, and generals, while the common soldiers fight over cities and seize land for them, braving arrows and stones, shedding blood and sweat, and getting nothing in return."

He was referring to Dong Xian, who had fought alongside them in the crushing victory over Wang Mang's Xin dynasty army at Chengchang! Now he had become a running dog for Liu Yong, and the tens of thousands of Red Eyebrows under his command had all become Liang soldiers.

"I have no interest in liberating everyone under Heaven."

"But our former brothers and sisters — we cannot abandon them!"

After pondering, Xu Xuan endorsed Fan Chong's plan. The eastern commanderies would not only allow the Red Eyebrows to split up and forage for food; if they could gather back the Red Eyebrows who had ended up in the Liang region, their power would become even more immense. Then they could strike out in all directions — sweeping the realm would not be impossible!

"I also agree with striking the Liang region first." Wang Mang, too, had changed his stance: "Since the Red Eyebrows want to abolish the imperial system, and Liu Yong has declared himself Han Emperor, he should be the first to be struck down and destroyed, as a warning to others!"

For this purpose, Wang Mang even found a slogan for the Red Eyebrow Army:

"The Red Talisman — the Republic shall rise!"

This so-called Red Talisman was a prophetic text widely circulated throughout the realm in that age, but most people had only heard its name, not its contents.

Wang Mang had originally claimed that the Red Talisman was a prophecy that the Red Emperor's son, Emperor Gao of Han, intended to pass the throne to him — and by this he had people present the Red Talisman and the Golden Casket, and so supplanted the House of Han.

Yet by the final years of Wang Mang's Xin dynasty, Liu Xin, resolved to oppose Mang and restore the Han, had inserted new content into the Red Talisman: "Liu Xiu shall raise troops and seize the unrighteous; the barbarians of the four quarters gather like clouds, dragons do battle in the wilds; at the juncture of four and seven, fire shall be lord!"

"This is seditious nonsense fabricated by Liu Zijun when he changed his name to 'Liu Xiu.' It is not worthy of belief."

To this day, Wang Mang had refused to acknowledge this prophetic line — though occasionally, when he recalled that other "Liu Xiu" who had defeated his three-hundred-thousand-strong army at Kunyang, he felt a small, nagging discomfort.

But now Wang Mang understood.

"The so-called Red Talisman is none other than the talisman of the Red Eyebrows subduing all under Heaven! The prophecy was misapplied — and it misled Liu Xin as well."

Whether others believed it or not, Wang Mang certainly did.

As for "Abolish the imperial system, and Great Peace shall appear" — that was even more purely Wang Mang's own wish. Fortunately, Fan Chong had agreed to these slogans.

At the start of the first month, after the Red Eyebrows' hundred-thousand-strong eastern expedition army had marched off shouting these words, Wang Mang, escorted by the inseparable Ju Wuba, returned to the humble hut where he was staying in Wancheng — and encountered someone unexpected.

"Old Tian."

After nearly half a year, Zheng Xing had finally seized the chance when Xu Xuan departed with the eastern expedition army. Feigning illness, he stayed behind, and by every means possible made his way to see Wang Mang.

Zheng Xing was merely one of Liu Xin's many students, a minor Erudite of the Imperial Academy. Although he had been granted audience with Wang Mang several times, he had always been lost in the crowd; neither Wang Mang nor Cui Fa had ever recognized him.

But Zheng Xing recognized Wang Mang. He promptly prostrated himself and performed the full rites of minister to sovereign. For a moment, tears welled in his eyes. "Your Majesty!"

…

PS: Something came up, so this is a bit late.

Tomorrow's updates will be at 13:00 and 18:00.