Chapter 466: People Are Not All the Same

People cannot all be lumped together.

Diwu Lun came in person to Longyou mainly to oversee grain supplies at the front, to play the role of "Xiao He" himself, and to micromanage things from nearby as opportunity allowed.

And Gongsun Shu also headed north to Hanzhong, originally harboring the notion of "Emperor against Emperor, one battle to decide all under Heaven," determined to test his strength against Diwu Lun in Longyou.

Yet before he came north, his ministers took turns remonstrating with him. Even Chancellor Li Xiong earnestly pleaded: "Since Wang Mang's destruction, heroes have risen together, and those spanning provinces and commanderies are beyond counting. But now the general situation in the north is already settled, and Diwu Lun already holds the masses of several provinces."

Li Xiong hoped Gongsun Shu would sober up a bit and not overestimate Shu's strength: "Jing Han and others all say the Wei army is weak and Guanzhong can be attacked, repeating the old story of Han Gaozu. But when Your Majesty sent a general to slip through Ziwu, he was wiped out by the Wei general Cen Peng, losing several thousand troops — ample proof that Wei truly cannot be directly challenged."

"Though Wei Ao has held out bitterly on Long Mountain for several months, he still cannot escape a great defeat. Helping him survive a little longer is still possible, but trying to retake Tianshui is difficult. Transporting grain from Shu to Liang Province requires crossing the Shu roads and Mount Qi in succession, farther than from Guanzhong. Moreover, the Long lands are bitterly cold in winter, and the Shu people are accustomed to warmth and heat — I fear they will not acclimatize. You absolutely must not send the entire great army north, emptying the state a thousand li from home, to stake everything on a single throw!"

He knew, of course, that for the Cheng family, entrenched in Yizhou, mere self-preservation was possible, but if they wished to contend for all under Heaven, they had to fight for a forward base.

But Li Xiong saw very clearly that, given the Shu army's fighting strength, concentrating on a single direction was already a stretch — otherwise they would not have been repelled by a minor local power like the King of Chuli the first time they sortied east through the Three Gorges. If they could not even take two mere commanderies in Jingzhou, how could they contend against the powerful Diwu Lun in the north?

Once troops and grain were all thrown into the Longyou theater, the Cheng family would have no energy left for subduing the southern barbarians or sortieing east into Jingzhou. In the end, their main force would be annihilated abroad, the people exhausted at home — they would not even manage to hold a third of the realm, but would swiftly collapse and perish!

When others remonstrated, Gongsun Shu scoffed, but Li Xiong was his chief strategist, and this made him begin to waver: "Am I to simply sit and watch Wei Ao be defeated and destroyed? When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold — I still understand that principle."

"As for Wei Ao, we must save him, but not entirely."

Li Xiong, who felt no attachment whatsoever to regions beyond Ba and Shu, proposed a sinister plan: "Better to send just over ten thousand troops to remain north of Mount Qi, preserving a few Longxi cities for Wei Ao to serve as the Cheng family's outer shield."

Since they could not take the elite cavalry of Longyou for the Cheng family's use, then destroy it! Let those few Longxi cities become a festering sore for the State of Wei! One that never heals, that rots there forever — as long as they can exploit Wei Ao and the Long people's unceasing resistance to delay Diwu Lun's advance into the Central Plains and the east, that will suffice!

"And Your Majesty can then free your hands to turn south with full force and straddle Jing and Yi!"

So Gongsun Shu's arrival in Hanzhong was not to advance the army, but to press the war hawks to withdraw.

Yet he put on a very full show of face, first issuing an edict fiercely denouncing Diwu Lun for bullying the infant Liu Ying, last scion of the Great Han — Uncle Gongsun was coming to right this wrong. At the same time, he struck every pose: "See, I have even come in person to rescue Wei Ao and the rest — one can hardly call me anything less than perfectly benevolent and righteous."

But in reality, Gongsun Shu ordered the main army to remain in Wudu and Hanzhong on the defensive. Of the twenty thousand Shu troops who had previously gone north, half were to be pulled back. Troop strength had to be reduced to a level the local grain supply could sustain, avoiding field battles with the Wei army and relying solely on strong cities and narrow passes to hold.

This was how the matter of Jia Fu being ordered to withdraw came about — it was, in truth, Gongsun Shu's intent.

Fang Wang, who had been shuttling back and forth between Long and Shu, painstakingly pleading for aid on his lord's behalf, learned that Wei Ao had been defeated again at Didao. Greatly alarmed, he sought audience three and five times before finally being received by Gongsun Shu.

Since declaring himself the White Emperor, Gongsun Shu had thrown himself heavily into prophetic charts and apocrypha, and was extremely fastidious about ritual regalia. He modeled himself on Han institutions, coming and going in the imperial cortege of the Son of Heaven, with phoenix banners and mounted outriders, arrays of halberds flanking the steps, and only then would his carriage emerge from the palace gates.

And after receiving the Snake-Slaying Sword that Wei Ao had sent Fang Wang to deliver, he grew so fond of it he could hardly bear to put it down, often having an attendant carry it at his side, while he personally bore the Imperial Heirloom Seal, cradling it before whomever he met.

It was through such layer upon layer of elaborate ceremony that Fang Wang at last beheld this Son of Heaven of Ba and Shu in the lavishly adorned White Emperor Palace. He was rather weary at heart, and felt this Emperor Gongsun, so preoccupied with outward show, hardly seemed like a man who could achieve great things. Yet for the sake of his promise to Wei Ao, he could only prostrate himself and plead bitterly.

But Gongsun Shu had long grown tired of hearing the pros and cons Fang Wang laid out. He merely fobbed Fang Wang off, having already inwardly abandoned the struggle for Longyou. Let Wei Ao rot away in those last few cities of Longxi, neither dead nor alive — that would do.

Fang Wang, clever as he was, perceived the shift in Gongsun Shu's attitude. Greatly horrified within, he burst out in loud laughter.

By the usual script, Gongsun Shu would ask in puzzlement, "Why does the master laugh?" and Fang Wang could seize the chance to ply his arts of persuasion.

But today Gongsun Shu had no desire to bandy words with him. He merely shot his attendants a look, and they promptly roared: "How dare you breach decorum and laugh in the Son of Heaven's presence! Throw him out!"

Fang Wang was stunned at these words, but his reactions were quick. Before the guards could seize him and fling him out, he simply collapsed onto the floor and began wailing loudly, weeping with such abandon that he beat his chest and stamped his feet.

This display of wild elation and violent grief was truly unsightly, but it did make it awkward for Gongsun Shu to drive him out. He could only sigh and say, "Why must the master go to such lengths?"

Only then did Fang Wang get his chance to speak. He knocked his head on the ground and said: "Your servant laughs bitterly because Diwu Lun now has no obstacles left and will unify the north — and weeps with grief for the doom now certain for the State of Shu!"

He said: "As your servant sees it, could it be that Your Majesty intends to withdraw the great army, leaving only a small foreign contingent to merely help King Wei hold a few cities in Longxi and maintain a long-term standoff with the Wei army?"

Having his petty scheme exposed, Gongsun Shu lost face. He felt this man knew far too much, and even felt a flicker of murderous intent. But Fang Wang continued: "The person who offered Your Majesty this plan, I fear, does not understand the situation on the Long plateau."

"Long Mountain is the lips, Tianshui the teeth, and Longxi the tongue. Without Long Mountain, there is no Tianshui; without Tianshui, Longxi too will be lost. Now that Didao, the tip of the tongue, has already been lost, the Wei army can charge straight to the root of the tongue in one breath. Relying on just a few counties like Shanggui — can that possibly stop Diwu Lun from cutting out this tongue by the root?"

Fang Wang argued forcefully: "Once the northern screen is lost, the Wei army will be able to advance from Guanzhong to Longxi, threatening the Cheng family along a front stretching a thousand li. At that point, offense and defense will have reversed! The Ziwu Road, the Tangluo Road, the Baoxie Road, the Old Road, the Mount Qi Road — Diwu Lun's national strength is abundant. If he sends a great general down each route, with tens of thousands of troops pressing forward, the Cheng family will be stretched thin and exhausted. At that point, offense and defense will have reversed!"

Therein lay the difficulty. Gongsun Shu had no confidence in fighting northerners on the Long plateau in winter, yet he feared the very scenario Fang Wang described. If Wei Ao were truly and utterly defeated, once Diwu Lun turned south, the Cheng family would also have to resist with full force, and would likewise be unable to free up the manpower and resources to "straddle Jing and Yi."

Fang Wang seized the moment: "Your servant has a plan. It need not consume Ba and Shu's manpower or provisions, yet it can ensure Diwu Lun cannot settle securely in Liang Province, and can also rescue King Wei and preserve Longxi."

This was exactly the sort of free-riding stratagem Gongsun Shu needed. But he was skeptical — could there really be such a good thing?

"Indeed. The Cheng family need only bestow a few empty titles. The rest is simply riding the momentum." Fang Wang, driven by desperation, had offered up this vicious scheme, one sufficient to earn him a hundred years of curses.

"Does Your Majesty know of the Xianlian Qiang?"

Gongsun Shu was certainly aware of them. The Qiang were a major power in Longyou that could not be circumvented, especially concentrated in Jincheng. The various Qiang tribes were like tenacious weeds — no matter how you cut them, they would grow back wilder, even more so than before.

And among the many Qiang tribes, the Xianlian Qiang were the most powerful, and had been the main force in every Han-Qiang war.

In the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the Xianlian Qiang united the various Qiang, dissolved their feuds and formed an alliance, colluded with the Xiongnu, and jointly attacked the Han settlements at Lingju, Didao, and Angu, nearly taking Longxi. They were only pacified the following year, and the Xianlian were driven onto the high plateau.

But a few decades later, the Xianlian gradually returned eastward to the He-Huang region. They rebelled again under Emperor Xuan of Han, a rebellion that lasted several years before finally being put down by the old general Zhao Chongguo. Some of the Xianlian were forcibly relocated inland, and the remnants retreated once more.

Now, four generations later, as the Xin dynasty of Wang Mang crumbled, the Xianlian Qiang had once again rallied their forces. Not only had they helped other tribes recover the Western Sea, where Wang Mang had established a commandery, but they had also seized the Greater and Lesser Yu Valleys, the richest lands in Qiang territory. Their tribes numbered over a hundred thousand, and nearly every Qiang male could fight — a power not to be underestimated. Now, still unsatisfied, they had begun to cast covetous eyes on the He-Huang Valley in Jincheng Commandery.

The ones Wei Ao had mainly cultivated ties with were precisely the Xianlian Qiang, sending them no small amount of silk, gold, and silver. But when the Wei army marched south and Wei Ao sent men to seek their aid, the Xianlian did not rashly accept. Using the excuse that crossing the Yellow River would encroach on other tribes' territory, they refused to send troops.

But Fang Wang believed the reason the Xianlian refused was that what Longyou could promise them was too little. Who would trust the words of a regime on the verge of defeat and destruction?

But the Cheng family was different. Gongsun Shu was, after all, an emperor with considerable real power. His enfeoffments and bestowals would carry far greater weight.

"Enfeoff the Xianlian Qiang chieftain as King of the Western Sea, with command over all the Qiang tribes?"

"Agree to let the Xianlian Qiang cross the great river and the Huang River, to graze their herds on the uncultivated lands of Jincheng Commandery?"

Gongsun Shu was somewhat astonished. Once the Xianlian Qiang obtained this title, they could legitimately command the various Qiang. Never mind the Western Sea Commandery, long since lost to the Western Qiang — this was tantamount to handing the entire Jincheng Commandery over to the Qiang as well!

"As early as the previous dynasty, the Xianlian longed to take all of He-Huang. Since Longyou is already Wei territory, we might as well do them a favor at someone else's expense. In this way, we can make the Xianlian submit to the Cheng family and pay tribute to Your Majesty. The Cheng family will effectively gain the aid of tens of thousands of Qiang troops, who can tear a great wound in Diwu Lun's flank!"

Fang Wang was utterly convinced that the Qiang uprisings the Han dynasty had exhausted itself to quell were something Diwu Lun could never handle.

This suited Gongsun Shu's wishes perfectly, and it was generosity at another's expense. At most, the Cheng family would bestow a little gold on the Xianlian Qiang. He had already enfeoffed the lord of the southern Gouding as "King of Zangge" anyway — one more "King of the Western Sea" made no difference.

"Why did the master not teach me this sooner?"

Gongsun Shu thus approved the plan and appointed Fang Wang as the envoy to enter Qiang territory and carry out the enfeoffment.

Fang Wang assented. As he stepped out of the White Emperor Palace, he merely breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could preserve Wei Ao, he would stop at no means!

Three years. Unknowingly, Fang Wang's state of mind had undergone a subtle shift. At first, it was gratitude for Wei Ao's recognition and patronage, a desire to help Wei Ao contend for hegemony. After the Battle of Zhouyuan, it became a wish to preserve Longyou, shuttling between Liang and Yi.

Now, as hope shattered bit by bit, Fang Wang was unwilling to admit that Wei Ao's defeat also meant his own defeat. Fang Wang had begun to act out of stubborn defiance. His goal had become to stop Diwu Lun!

"Diwu Lun, you struck Longyou first because you wanted to take Liang Province so that the west would hold no further worries, and you could then concentrate your strength eastward to unify all under Heaven!"

"But as long as the Xianlian Qiang join in, the war in Longyou will go on forever."

"It will never end!"

……

Fang Wang, in a state of utterly impotent rage, racked his brains over how to keep the war going in Longyou forever, to thwart Diwu Lun's grand ambition.

And Gongsun Shu, having seen the limits of his own strength, realized he could not take Longyou, so he wanted to turn it into a festering sore for the State of Wei.

But people differ. At this very moment, Diwu Lun was pondering how to end the war swiftly, heal this land's wounds, and roll out a governance plan suited to Long's regional character as quickly as possible.

In stark contrast to Gongsun Shu's ostentatious and extravagant style, the mobile court in Chengji County was quite austere, using the Wei family's old residence and forbidding any decoration.

Even the food served to Colonel of Grain Procurement Ren Guang, who had escorted grain here, was extremely plain — merely four dishes and a soup.

"Boqing, you are truly my Xiao He. You have relieved my most urgent crisis."

Diwu Lun said to Ren Guang: "Had you not brought sixty thousand shi of grain to our rescue this time, and ordered the weaver-women of Chang'an to rush fifty thousand winter coats, sending them on in succession, our army, driven by hunger and cold, would likely have been forced to retreat and abandon the campaign long ago."

Hearing Diwu Lun praise him as "Xiao He," Ren Guang felt a surge of delight — the seat of Right Chancellor was still vacant — but as was his habit, he still attributed the merit to his sovereign.

"It was Your Majesty's overall planning that was sound. Immediately after seizing Long Pass, you ordered the roads repaired, so that the great carts could cross the mountains. Your servant and Chamberlain Song and the others merely carried out the edict."

But Diwu Lun, probably in good spirits, praised Ren Guang further: "You also have an eye for talent. That Wu Ziyi you recommended earlier is truly a fierce general. Every time he is dispatched, he receives his orders in the morning and sets out on campaign by evening, never delaying. He is calm, brave, and decisive. And now, he has achieved yet another remarkable feat — he has already taken Didao! He chased Wei Ao like a dog that has lost its home, who even dropped his seal and ribbon of office."

Ren Guang's recommendation of Wu Han was an old matter from long ago, and through a series of mishaps the man had never even been found. Yet Diwu Lun still credited Ren Guang with the merit of that recommendation. At the same time, knowing the two had once been superior and subordinate and were still on good terms, he let his praise for Wu Han reach his ears through Ren Guang's mouth — an effect even better than praising him directly.

But after praising Wu Han for a while, Diwu Lun shifted his tone: "Yet Long is barren; even the powerful families are not wealthy. Sustaining the army by war alone is not a sound approach. The generals have no choice, but I cannot afford to ignore long-term considerations."

This was a hint that Wu Han waged war too ruthlessly, relying essentially on plunder for provisions — not that he had any choice, since he was basically a lone army deep in enemy territory with no supply line. But there is an art even to plundering. Look at Wan Xiu and young Geng: they all 'borrow' from the powerful families with kind words and promises of future recompense.

But Wu Han does not do that. He truly plunders, pure and simple! Though his soldiers have been rotated, they have all been infected with wolfish ferocity. They strike the powerful families and wealthy households with extreme brutality, and the common people suffer as well. Every time Wu Han goes on campaign, Diwu Lun receives complaints from the army supervisors and local scholars.

He would then remove the names and forward the complaints to Wu Han, the implication being: the circumstances this time were exceptional, so I will not blame you, but you must still show some restraint.

Ren Guang knew Diwu Lun's words carried a deeper meaning. Sure enough, after he apologized on Wu Han's behalf, Diwu Lun continued: "This Longyou campaign has dragged on for nearly half a year. Though limited by the terrain, it has been quite slow, but with all the ministers behind, the generals in front, the soldiers giving their all, and Heaven aiding us, I have no worry at all about failing to win."

"What I worry about is how to govern after we win!"

"At present, the various clans and common people of Longyou all regard the Wei troops as an occupying army, not as a royal host come to save the world. The reason Wei Ao holds out stubbornly is precisely because the hearts of the people in Longyou still waver."

Diwu Lun already had a countermeasure: you must first solve the problem of food.

"Continuous bitter fighting has left Longyou ruined; soldiers and civilians go hungry, and refugees are everywhere. The stored grain in Tianshui and other places is exhausted. Only by relying on grain sent by the court can we maintain stability."

"So right now, Boqing, your burden is very heavy. You must not only prepare army provisions so the front line need not live off plunder, but also raise relief grain. Before the snow falls, you must transport another hundred thousand shi of grain here to avert a great famine."

Long Mountain is truly difficult to cross. This meant Guanzhong would have to expend even more manpower and grain. But with the matter put this way, Ren Guang could only steel himself and accept the order, agreeing to mobilize large numbers of draft animals to transport supplies continuously into Longyou. In a month at most, Long Mountain would become impassable to travelers. A hundred thousand shi of grain — time was running short for him!

"Your servant will arrange transport from the various counties to provide relief."

In truth, the situation in Longyou was not that dire. As far as Ren Guang knew, the several Longyou powerful families who had surrendered to Diwu Lun — such as the Li, Xin, and Liang clans — still had considerable grain stockpiled in their fortresses…

He found it strange. Given Diwu Lun's past methods, he would surely have slaughtered a wave of great houses — just as he did in Guanzhong, not hesitating to fabricate cases to send dozens of powerful families north and south of the Wei River to accompany Liu Bosheng in death, feeding on their corpses, lean but still fleshy, to survive the winter. Why was he so restrained this time?

Had he forgotten his original purpose?

Of course not. Diwu Lun simply felt that one cannot treat every matter identically, still less try to cut every lock with one stroke just because the dragon-slaying blade is indeed sharp.

So every time he struck, it was with careful deliberation.

In Guanzhong, he had no choice. Without striking the powerful families, with what could he accomplish the primitive accumulation of a new state? Without cleaning them out thoroughly, that foundation territory of Guanzhong would not be as docile as it was now.

But when he reached Hebei, Diwu Lun became very selective in his targets: in You and Ji provinces, he struck only the defeated Liu-surnamed powerful families. That way, the other clans would happily watch the show, thinking Diwu Lun was petty and settling a clan vendetta, and would not band together to cause trouble.

Now in Longyou, Diwu Lun had changed again.

"As for the great magnates of Longyou, so long as they are willing to submit, I do not intend to settle old scores or suppress them harshly. If they can cooperate, I will certainly not exterminate them!"

After several months in Longyou, Diwu Lun had more or less grasped the "regional character" of this place. On this land where Han and Rong peoples lived intermingled, ethnic and class contradictions coexisted, and the former was even greater.

"The people of Long are fierce and valiant, constantly practicing martial readiness and esteeming physical strength. Yet many willingly attach themselves to the sixteen powerful families — not only because they have been dispossessed by them, but also to band together for warmth."

It was not just to evade taxes, but also so that when the Qiang and Hu rose in revolt, they would have a fortress to shelter in, and could rally around the powerful families to resist the alien tribes!

To be a serf and bondsman to a powerful family, or to be carried off as a slave by the Qiang and Hu together with one's wife and daughters — is there even a choice?

When the Han dynasty was strong, it was tolerable; the Qiang and Hu were all a head shorter and somewhat cowed. But now, in these chaotic times, the Western Sea had fallen, Jincheng was soon to follow, and Qiang and Hu incursions grew ever more frequent. The Qiang rebellions of the Former Han could erupt again at any moment, perhaps on an even larger scale and even harder to pacify!

On this mountainous, bitter-cold land, a single household of small independent farmers simply could not survive! Was there not the commandery and county government? A joke. If the government were reliable, the Qiang would not have grown from a minor border nuisance into a force penetrating deep into Long, indistinguishable from the locals. The hidden perils left by the previous dynasty now fell to the successor to bear, and Diwu Lun did not believe the officials he appointed to hold the rear could attend to every detail.

Chasing down and striking Wei Ao alone was acceptable; the various clans of Longyou were quite happy to abandon him, just as they had once ostracized the Li clan, the former leaders of Longyou. But if he called for the death of all Long magnates, they would be driven by desperation and might well turn around, hold their noses, and join forces with the Qiang and Hu…

Push this crowd of local bosses toward the Qiang and Hu, or pull them back?

The forebears of the Spring and Autumn era had long ago given the answer.

Diwu Lun declared with emotion:

"The Rong and Di are wolves; they can never be sated."

"The many Xia are kin; they must never be abandoned!"