Chapter 473: Like Moths Flying into the Flame

"We should indeed march north, but we shouldn't strike Luoyang first."

Hearing Wang Mang's proposal, Xu Xuan shook his head in opposition: "Among the various rulers today, Wei is the strongest. Last year, when Diwu Lun was still in Hebei, he sent men to probe from Wu Pass and Yique, and neither could break through. Now that he's taken You and Ji provinces, his troops are strong and his horses sturdy — even harder to strike."

In Xu Xuan's view, it would be better to pick the low-hanging fruit first — wipe out the remnants of Liang-Han completely and sweep through Yan Province. If they could push north, link up with the Red Eyebrow detached force at Chengtouzi Lu in Pingyuan Commandery, and stir the remnants of the Tongma to join the Red Eyebrows, then advancing further into Qing Province would be well within reach.

"The Red Eyebrow veterans are mostly men of Qi — they all want to return home."

Wang Mang vehemently objected: "Has Lord Fan forgotten the lesson of going home after the Battle of Chengchang?"

The words sounded strange coming from his mouth. Back then, if Fan Chong had not missed the chance to rally the realm's anti-Mang forces with a single call, he would likely have marched all the way west into the Passes and taken "Wang Mang's head" before Diwu Lun could.

Wang Mang's push for Luoyang was not merely driven by the political aim of "seizing the center of the realm," revealing his identity before his "seventy-three" year deadline arrived, settling his final affairs, and abdicating to a new Son of Heaven — nor was it personal vengeance. It was born of public outrage!

"Lord Fan, what have you led the Red Eyebrows through all these provinces for?"

Wang Mang turned the question back on Fan Chong: "Was it not so that hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters could have a land of peace and plenty?"

It was precisely this simple, heartfelt sentiment that had enabled Fan Chong to resist the temptation of the imperial throne, override all dissent, and lead the Red Eyebrows onto a path no one had ever imagined.

"But every emperor under heaven regards the Red Eyebrows with enmity."

Wang Mang spoke the plain truth. The Red Eyebrow Army was simply too different. They had no allies, nor any possibility of negotiation or retreat. Whether Nanyang, Hebei, or the Five Tombs, the powerful clans and great families saw them as mortal foes. To encircle and annihilate this faction that "acknowledged neither sovereign nor father," every power — Diwu Lun and Liu Xiu, Gongsun Shu and Zhang Bu, the Han-restorationists and the Han-overthrowers — would all, without prior agreement, unite as one.

Wang Mang laid out the Red Eyebrows' only choice: "For the Red Eyebrow Army, either you sweep the realm and utterly destroy Wei, Wu, Shu, and Qi — or you lay down your weapons and resign yourselves to being slaughtered by them."

"Precisely because Diwu Lun is the strongest, we must bring him down!"

Moreover, Diwu Lun was adept at seizing opportunities. If the Red Eyebrows committed their forces in Qing Province and Diwu Lun struck at their rear from Hebei and Luoyang, what then? No one understood the little Diwu Lun's backstabbing better than Wang Mang. With that man lurking at your side, could you still set your mind at ease and go strike someone else? Word had it that Diwu Lun was currently detained in Longyou and his main forces could not shift east — this was a rare, golden chance.

Fan Chong was inclined toward Wang Mang's proposal.

"The Red Eyebrow Army has never feared a strong foe," the giant Fan said.

The Xin Dynasty's hundred-thousand-strong eastern expedition, swollen with arrogance — the Red Eyebrows shattered it.

Green Han and Liang-Han each once held "legitimate" sway over the Central Plains and sought to make the four quarters pay homage — the Red Eyebrows destroyed them.

Others bully the weak and fear the strong, but the Red Eyebrows make a point of striking the strongest! Now it is Wei Lun's turn.

And most importantly, the Central Plains were desolate. Within a thousand li in any direction, there was only one source of grain capable of feeding the Red Eyebrows' several hundred thousand troops: the Ao Granary, held by Ma Yuan's forces of the Wei army!

The grain of Henei and Wei Commandery was stockpiled there, allowing Ma Yuan to train his troops at leisure. His defense zone stretched from Luoyang in the west to Chenliu and Puyang in Dong Commandery to the east. Luoyang was hard to assault, but the latter two were vast plains with no natural defenses to hold — perfectly suited for the large-scale mobile warfare the Red Eyebrows excelled at.

With the matter laid out to this point, Xu Xuan knew he could not stop Fan Chong. He only said, with deep worry: "Once we open hostilities with Diwu Lun, I fear it will drag on indefinitely. I worry that Chu in the south, Qi in the east, and King Xiu of Wu in the southeast will all seize the chance to raid us."

Fan Chong's solution was simple and blunt. With a wave of his hand, he said: "Then we fight on all fronts at once and give them no chance!"

It sounded mad, but in truth it was a move born of desperation: aside from the men stationed in Nanyang and Runan, who could still fill their bellies on the local autumn harvest, the remaining forty ten-thousand-man camps, spread across various commanderies, all faced a dire grain shortage.

If Fan Chong were truly so foolish as to summon four hundred thousand men from a thousand li away to gather in one place and starve, the Red Eyebrows would never have lasted this long.

Yet letting them wait in place to starve was no solution either. They still had to disperse and forage.

Fan Chong said: "Third Lord Pang An is stationed in Pei Commandery with ten ten-thousand-man camps under him. He'll strike southeast, attacking King Xiu of Wu's Pengcheng and Linhuai. Pang An has long said he wants a taste of Huainan rice — let him go!"

"Fourth Lord Xie Lu is stationed in Liang with another ten ten-thousand-man camps. He'll follow Jiaoqi's plan: sweep north through Yan Province, drive Zhang Bu's troops back into Qing Province, strive to link up with Chengtouzi Lu, and, while he's at it, attack Puyang in Dong Commandery for me as well."

That was the easternmost end of Ma Yuan's defense zone. The war would begin at Puyang.

Once Ma Yuan shifted troops east to reinforce, Fan Chong, currently at Huaiyang, would rapidly push north, cut off their retreat, and force a decisive battle at Chenliu!

As long as Ma Yuan's main force was destroyed, the Red Eyebrows' "Fifth Lord" Yang Yin in Yingchuan still had ten ten-thousand-man camps. In coordination with Fan Chong, that would be enough to take Luoyang.

Second Lord Xu Xuan, not known for his battlefield prowess, would remain behind to hold their various territories in Yu Province, his main task being to guard against Cen Peng at Wu Pass and Deng Feng at Xiangyang, ensuring they didn't get their home base overrun.

With the decision thus made, Fan Chong gripped Xu Xuan with one hand and steadied Wang Mang with the other: "Old Fan doesn't understand how to govern a state or manage administration — I can only fight wars. Once we've conquered the realm, we'll still have to rely on Jiaoqi and Old Tian to plan it all out."

"Since abolishing the well-field system and slavery has achieved such great success in two commanderies, it should work across the whole realm as well."

Fan Chong was filled with longing: "I truly hope I can soon see that 'land of peace and plenty' from the songs!"

Xu Xuan nodded. Wang Mang, too, was deeply moved, regretting only that he had not come to know this utterly open-hearted "rebel" sooner.

Today, the Red Eyebrows were setting their future course in Chen County. It truly resembled that scene over two hundred years ago, when Chen Sheng and Wu Guang entered Chen and declared themselves kings, then resolved to destroy Qin — also dividing their forces into multiple routes.

A pity that was the zenith of Zhang Chu, and also the moment its decline began.

And the Red Eyebrow Army — toward what destination would it march?

Fan Chong did not know. He had never been able to see the road ahead; he could only grope forward blindly.

Xu Xuan was not clear either. His talents were limited — he had only a rough grasp of letters. He had always wanted to follow the path of the previous dynasty: Fan Chong as Liu Bang, himself as Cao Can, founding a new dynasty. But since the giant Fan was unwilling, once the matter had been laid out and made plain, Xu Xuan was also willing to follow behind him and try taking another step forward. Yet he would always keep an eye on what lay behind the Red Eyebrow Army!

And as the Red Eyebrows' "mentor," Wang Mang also had no idea what the future held.

He only felt that the Red Eyebrows were undertaking something even greater than what Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had done. Like simple, unadorned warriors from the ancient Three Dynasties, they pressed forward indomitably, sweeping the realm with irresistible sharpness, scouring away every last remnant of the tyrannical Qin imperial system. And upon the wasteland of a new world, Wang Mang could use the last of his life to sow the seeds that would bring about the Great Peace!

"The Three Dynasties shall thereby be restored."

Wang Mang said only to himself: "This time, it surely will!"

……

While they deliberated inside the King of Huaiyang's manor in Chen County, the intersection of the two streets outside was a scene of noisy commotion. Dong Xian, the King of Dong of his generation, was bound there. Passing Red Eyebrow soldiers were throwing tiles onto the open ground to decide Dong Xian's fate — in the cities the Red Eyebrows had swept through, the powerful had fled, the merchants had vanished, grain was scarce, and what remained in greatest abundance were countless shards of rubble.

The thrown tiles clinked and clattered; they were deciding whether Dong Xian lived or died.

Throw left, death; throw right, life!

Quite a crowd had gathered to watch, all buzzing with discussion. Some spoke of Dong Xian's valor in the great Battle of Chengchang; others murmured about how he had betrayed his Red Eyebrow brothers for the high office and rich emoluments Liu Yong offered.

Dong Xian kept his eyes shut the entire time, disdaining even to glance at which pile of rubble was larger. From beginning to end, he never felt he had "betrayed" the Red Eyebrows. To follow the example of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang — are kings, lords, generals, and ministers born into their kind? — was that not the natural and proper path for men like them? He simply could not fathom why Fan Chong refused to tread in the footprints of their predecessors, insisting instead on carving his own treacherous trail where few had ever walked.

Nearly all the Red Eyebrows near Chen County had come to throw tiles. Even "Wang Kuang," the Grand Preceptor of the Xin Dynasty, had crept over on tiptoe to watch the excitement. He, too, clutched a tile in his hand, wanting to throw it to the left — after all, in that great battle back then, Dong Xian had chased him into a most wretched state.

But before Wang Kuang could muster the courage, a kick suddenly landed on him. Someone sent him sprawling violently beside the rubble piles, followed by a low, furious curse: "What makes you worthy of deciding whether Dong Xian lives or dies?"

Before Wang Kuang could react, he was set upon and beaten by the Red Eyebrow soldiers. Tiles rained down on him with sharp cracks, and some even stepped forward to land a kick.

The most outrageous was Ju Wuba, over ten feet tall, who parted the crowd, walked up to Wang Kuang, and stared down at him, his face bruised and swollen.

"Ju Wu—"

Before Wang Kuang could cry out his true name, Ju Wuba's fist, nearly the size of an ordinary man's face, swung down violently. A single punch, and Wang Kuang made no further sound.

This farce was merely a brief interlude, and no one paid it any mind. After Wang Kuang was dragged away, one man parted the crowd and walked up to Dong Xian.

"Grand Lord."

"Lord Fan."

Dong Xian opened his eyes, only to see Fan Chong toss the shard of tile in his hand to the right.

The crowd was stunned, but Dong Xian only stared at Fan Chong, wanting to know what he was playing at — was he trying to win him over?

"You are right." Fan Chong said instead, "Back then I thought wrong. I was bent on returning to my old home, and I failed the Red Eyebrows."

"Only now do I understand."

"From the moment we raised our troops, the Red Eyebrows have had only one way: forward, never back!"

Whatever stood before the Red Eyebrows — the Xin Dynasty, Greenwood, Liang Han, or Diwu Lun — they had to charge at it, with their own bodies.

Like moths plunging into flame — how could they begrudge the burning of their flesh!

With Fan Chong's declaration, those casting to the right suddenly multiplied, until the outcome was plain at a glance: Dong Xian was spared, at the cost of having his eyebrows shaved off. He could never again call himself a Red Eyebrow.

Dong Xian did not prostrate himself in gratitude before Fan Chong. He simply swung onto the horse Fan Chong gave him, took a few old followers willing to stay with him, and left Chen County.

Xu Xuan watched the man leave, heavy with worry, but he knew well that with the Giant Fan's magnanimity, he would never go back on his word.

"Then I must do it in Lord Fan's stead."

Xu Xuan instructed his attendants to prepare an ambush to kill Dong Xian. Only then did he learn that Wang Kuang had been beaten to death by that giant attendant of Old Man Tian. He was stunned, and his suspicions deepened.

He spun around sharply to look at "Old Man Tian" — and saw the old fellow holding a basket, his expression somewhere between grief and lament.

"You can hide it for a time, but not forever. Sooner or later, I will drag your true self into the light!"

Xu Xuan no longer wanted to simply kill Old Man Tian. For one, the old codger truly had some ability. Xu Xuan himself had no talent for statecraft, and no worthy scholar would ever pledge allegiance to the Red Eyebrows. The Red Eyebrows had, in fact, grown somewhat dependent on his planning.

He only wanted to know: who exactly was this man, mingling among the Red Eyebrows — and what was he after?

"A white-haired old man, refined in speech, well-versed in the Confucian classics, opposed to restoring the Han, an advocate of the well-field system, and deeply hates Diwu Lun. And he was recognized by Wang Kuang, so he killed him to silence him."

A possibility came to Xu Xuan: "Could he be... Wang..."

Xu Xuan was instantly frightened by his own thought. He pressed a hand to his head. "Impossible, it's impossible. Even if Wang Mang didn't die, how could he throw in with the Red Eyebrows? A former Emperor, come to be a bandit? What would he stand to gain!"

"Fine Fan Chong you are. You agreed to let the king go free, then sent men to intercept him halfway."

A day later, in the mountain forests several dozen li north of Chen County, Dong Xian and his last remaining old followers, who had reached this place on fast horses, were covered in wounds. The first wave of pursuers Xu Xuan had sent had failed to kill Dong Xian, and more than ten of them had been killed in return.

"It wasn't Fan Chong." Dong Xian bound his wounds with his belt, grinding his teeth. "The Giant Fan is an upright man. If he wanted me dead, he'd have killed me outright — no need to give me a horse. It was definitely Xu Xuan's doing. The biting dog does not bark. These scholars are the most venomous."

"Your Highness, where shall we go next? I hear Liang Han has retreated to Lu Commandery. Shall we go to Qufu as well?"

"Liu Yong is finished." Dong Xian finished binding his wounds and rose with difficulty. "We keep heading north."

"To Chenliu Commandery, to join the Wei army under Ma Yuan's command!"

Dong Xian touched his shaved-bare eyebrows. Xu Xuan's worry had not been unfounded. Such a staggering humiliation — he would have his revenge! Since he had already turned his back on the Red Eyebrows, he would walk that opposite road to its very end!

"The Red Eyebrows have become the great scourge of the realm."

"The only man who can rid us of this scourge now is Diwu Lun!"

PS: Second chapter coming in the middle of the night.