Chapter 534: Mutual Deceit

Diwu Lun had always placed great weight on diplomacy. The State of Wei's envoys either stayed home, or once dispatched, they went out in batches.

While Yin Xing was sent to Pengcheng to offer Liu Xiu the title "Great Wei King of Wu" — which he was one hundred percent certain to refuse — Fulong, who had practically become the dedicated envoy to Qi, accompanied the Embroidered Uniform Commandant Zhang Yu, and the two of them appeared together at the Qi King Zhang Bu's petty court in Linzi.

Zhang Bu naturally treated them with the utmost gravity. Compared to Fulong's last visit to Qi, in the span of barely a year, the realm's situation had changed utterly: the combined forces of Zhang Bu and Liu Yong had been struck by the Red Eyebrows and routed in Yanzhou. Zhang Bu could only abandon his ambition to contend for the realm and retreat to Qingzhou. Still, he was at least better off than Liu Yong — Liu Yong was left with only a corner of Qufu in Lu Commandery, yet was defeated again by Red Eyebrow remnants, becoming a bare-stick emperor. On his way to seek refuge with Zhang Bu, he was seized by troops sent by Liu Xiu.

With Diwu Lun having annihilated the Red Eyebrows' main force, Ma Yuan had stationed his troops in Liang, while Gai Yan and Kou Xun's Youzhou shock cavalry had shifted to Pingyuan Commandery — a commandery that had suffered the worst of the Yellow River floods. Yet nature works wonders: after the refugees fled and the fields lay desolate, across the land soaked and salinized by the river's overflow, vast stretches of grassland had grown up over the past decade or so, much of it forage fit for livestock. Sending the cavalry, that herd of gold-devouring beasts, there at least saved some coin and grain.

Likewise, Pingyuan Commandery already belonged to Qingzhou, separated from the Qi King Zhang Bu's territory by nothing more than the River Ji.

They were like a sharp sword suspended overhead. Zhang Bu, while sending troops and commanders to guard along the River Ji line, treated the visiting Fulong and Zhang Yu with the utmost deference, personally hosting them, his smile tinged with a bit more ingratiation.

"Might I ask, was the Wei Emperor satisfied with the abalone I previously offered as tribute?"

This was his way of signaling that he harbored not the slightest disrespect toward Diwu Lun — I am blameless, you cannot attack me!

But in this age of great contention, who still cared about having a just cause for war? Zhang Yu knew that Diwu Lun had no immediate plans to attack Qingzhou only because the exterior-line operations along the River Ji and Yellow River had cost too much in grain and manpower, and he needed to rest a while.

The reason they had been dispatched was precisely to practice the undermining of strategy and alliances before the undermining by arms — first, to observe this state's true condition, and second, to sow confusion. After all, Zhang Bu held Qingzhou and Langya Commandery in Xuzhou; among the realm's powers, he could rank fourth. Though defeated by the Red Eyebrows, his strength still remained and could not be ignored.

So Zhang Yu smiled and said: "His Majesty's ancestors were also men of Qi, and he has a fondness for seafood. After tasting the abalone, he declared outright that he savored the flavor of his homeland."

Nonsense. Diwu Lun had not eaten a single one of those dried abalones; he had saved them all for old Wang Mang.

Zhang Yu continued: "But eating abalone alone did not fully satisfy His Majesty's pleasure. Thus, this outer vassal's present mission to Qi, aside from returning gifts of Guanzhong specialties to the Qi King, is to seek, by order, another kind of sea product."

He displayed the painting scroll he had brought, and on it was drawn a long object, dark and large, covered with many fleshy spines, with a belly in the middle, no mouth or eyes, and feet beneath.

Zhang Bu had originally been full of wariness toward Fulong and Zhang Yu, but the moment he saw this thing, he instantly understood and burst out laughing: "Unless one is a man of the Sea-Dai region, one has likely never even seen this thing. Could it be that Master Fulong told the Wei Emperor about it?"

Fulong suppressed his disgust. Was he the sort of petty man who curried favor with the sovereign's whims? Even lying was something he did only as an envoy, forced by necessity. He merely said: "Though this outer vassal shares a hometown with the Qi King, I was born with an aversion to fishy, rank things and ordinarily know little of the sea's produce."

On this mission, he was only the deputy; Zhang Yu was the chief envoy. Fulong was an upright gentleman and looked down on this intelligence-gathering, favor-seeking petty man. Moreover, what Zhang Yu had come to handle was no good business either — how could Fulong not be irked? His emotions showed plainly on his face, and he could not hide them from Zhang Bu. That the Wei State's chief and deputy envoys were at odds was known to all.

Zhang Yu hastily cut in: "It is, however, that after His Majesty pacified Hebei, he newly acquired several Yan and Qi alchemists. These men say that this thing has the effect of reducing fire and nourishing the kidneys, loosening the bowels and moistening dryness, and eliminating consumptive fatigue disorders…"

Put so euphemistically. Zhang Bu sneered inwardly. This thing was called "sea melon" in Qingzhou, but it had an even more common name: "sea gentleman."

And why was it called that? Because it rather resembled a certain part of the male anatomy. According to the common knowledge of form-supplementation, eating it would of course serve to supplement the kidneys, boost the essence, strengthen the yang, and cure impotence!

Zhang Bu thought to himself: "I have heard that Diwu Lun is lecherous. Not only does he bear the hatred of having stolen a wife from Liu Wenshu, he has even imprisoned the Han Empress Dowager Xiaoping in Chang'an for his debauched pleasure. Now, first abalone, then sea gentleman — it seems he truly has not been able to 'fully satisfy his pleasure'!"

Such unbridled debauchery actually let Zhang Bu breathe a sigh of relief. When he thought about it, it made sense: Diwu Lun, at just a little over twenty, had swept across the north and carved out a huge domain — could he not enjoy himself a little? A young man would wish for nothing more than to die upon a woman's bosom. Zhang Bu had once been young himself; how could he not understand?

Looking again at Zhang Yu and Fulong — Zhang Yu brimming with smug satisfaction, Fulong concealing his indignation — was this not precisely the pattern of a favor-seeking sycophant gaining power while an upright, loyal minister's bitter remonstrations went unheeded?

So Zhang Bu agreed wholeheartedly and ordered his men to quickly prepare an extra supply of sea gentlemen for Diwu Lun, and he specially instructed them to select several dozen beautiful young women from Qingzhou, each to carry a box of the wind-dried sea product into Chang'an, so as to ensure Diwu Lun could not straighten his back…

Zhang Bu secretly mused: "I have heard that Emperor Cheng of Han was by nature robust and free of illness, yet he doted on Zhao Hede and Zhao Feiyan, the sisters, often taking medicinal pills along with abalone and sea gentleman, spending whole nights in revelry with them. One day, drunk, he ate ten pills at once. Embracing the Zhao sisters, his laughter unceasing, in the end his essence gushed forth like a spring, and the Emperor died."

He wished for nothing more than for Diwu Lun to refuse none of it and repeat the story of Emperor Cheng of Han.

After this "proper business" was concluded, it was only during the banquet, while Zhang Yu was solely occupied with exchanging toasts with Zhang Bu, that Fulong had the chance to bring up another matter.

"Recently there have been rumors that the King of Wu, Liu Xiu, defeated a detached Red Eyebrow force at Pengcheng and also captured Liu Yong, and now intends to proclaim himself Han Emperor. Has the Qi King received envoys from Liu Xiu?"

Diwu Lun was grasping with both hands — on one side sending envoys to Wu to manufacture a pretext and conduct a fake peace negotiation, and on the other side sowing discord between Qi and Wu. After all, he was a man who detested arrogance above all and would defeat each enemy one by one if he could.

Zhang Bu had not had it easy either. The last time Fulong entered Qi, bearing Diwu Lun's orders, he had egged Zhang Bu on to seize Donghai Commandery in Xuzhou, while Liu Xiu had also sent envoys to coax Zhang Bu into taking Yanzhou to the west. Zhang Bu had originally wanted it all, but was then brutally beaten by the Red Eyebrows and ended up empty-handed on both fronts.

Now the greater part of Yanzhou had been taken by the Wei army, while Liu Xiu had occupied Donghai. Zhang Bu's present predicament was awkward — like Diwu Lun's ancestors, the Tian brothers during the Chu-Han transition, caught between the two powers of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.

The good news was that he had no grudge against either side — at least, that was how Zhang Bu saw it.

Liu Xiu proclaiming himself emperor? Excellent! Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Zhang Bu hoped for nothing more than for Diwu Lun and Liu Xiu to fight it out to their hearts' content, so that he himself could reap the fisherman's gain.

But he feigned shock: "The King of Wu wants to proclaim himself emperor? Is this true? I, the solitary one, knew absolutely nothing of it!"

Fulong pressed: "If it is indeed true, how will Your Majesty deal with him when the time comes?"

Was this forcing him to pick a side? Zhang Bu wanted to throw in with neither, but he was also well aware that he now held only the territory of a single province, while Diwu Lun had nearly unified the Central Plains and the North, ruling over a domain of nearly seven provinces, with troops and population at least six times his own.

Even Liu Xiu, after gaining the greater part of Xuzhou and Yangzhou, was stronger than him in strength.

And facts had proven that the soldiers and commanders of these two houses were exceedingly capable in battle. Diwu Lun had annihilated the Red Eyebrows' main force, and Liu Xiu had won a great victory at Pengcheng — worthy of the God of War of Kunyang…

So Zhang Bu decided to take a step back. Retaining the title of Qi King was his bottom line. For now, he would string both sides along while fanning the flames between them!

Thus Zhang Bu immediately declared his stance: "That the likes of Liu Ziyu and Liu Yong have all been wiped out shows that the virtue of Han is exhausted and the virtue of Wei is in the ascendant! What is more, if Liu Xiu also calls himself Han Emperor, even if he recruits me, the solitary one, as a feudal lord — have the Han's non-Liu feudal lords ever met a good end? I, Bu, naturally wish to declare myself a vassal and pay tribute to His Majesty the Wei Emperor, with abalone and sea gentlemen unceasing upon the road each year!"

…

On the surface, their mission as envoys to the Qi King had been perfectly accomplished, but as they left Linzi, Fulong was not the least bit happy.

He felt that after defeating the Red Eyebrows and capturing Wang Mang, Diwu Lun had grown arrogant, slack, and his temperament had greatly changed.

Sending Zhang Yu, that favor-seeking spy of a petty man, to request sea gentlemen and the like — that he could let pass. The Emperor's private affairs were not something Fulong dared to remark upon, so long as he did not go too far and truly defile the former Han Empress Dowager.

But what was the meaning of enfeoffing Zhang Bu and recruiting Liu Xiu as King of Wu?

"Could it be that His Majesty is content with half the realm and wishes to emulate the Han's enfeoffment of Zhao Tuo, making Zhang Bu and Liu Xiu outer vassals like the Nanyue Kingdom?"

Fulong could not help but say to Zhang Yu: "Embroidered Uniform Commandant, although Zhang Bu verbally agreed to submit as a vassal to Wei, he is unwilling to enter court to receive his enfeoffment, and he uses the pretext that his son is far away in Langya, saying he will only send him to Chang'an as a hostage in the first month. His intent is not sincere."

"Master Fulong has also seen through it?" Zhang Yu had long known it would be so.

Fulong was taken aback, then said: "Indeed. Zhang Bu is wildly ambitious and only intends to feign compliance with our dynasty while secretly colluding with Liu Xiu, so as to make Wei and Wu fight each other. In my view, His Majesty is far too indulgent toward Zhang Bu."

He also had some ability, and said: "In Han times, the Marquis of Liu, Zhang Liang, had the theory of the 'Eastern and Western Qin.'"

"The Western Qin needs no elaboration — the land of Guanzhong, a state of strategic advantage, with the peril of holding off two for every hundred, now exclusively held by Wei."

"As for the Eastern Qin, that is the land of Qi. To the east, it has the riches of Langya and Jimo; to the south, the strongholds of Mount Tai and the defile of Kangfu; to the west, the barriers of the Muddy River and the River Ji; to the north, the advantages of the Bohai Sea. Its territory spans two thousand li, with over a hundred walled cities and a populace numbering in the millions. Cut off a thousand li from the west, it holds the peril of holding off one for every two."

Fulong was himself a man of Qi, and he spoke of his homeland's strategic terrain with natural familiarity: "But now, though Zhang Bu has illicitly occupied Qingzhou, of all Qi's four perils, he holds only Langya and Bohai. To the west, the Wei army shares the River Ji with him. To the south, State Commandant Ma has already sent troops to occupy Kangfu Pass, and Red Eyebrow remnants are entrenched in Mount Tai and Qufu in Lu Commandery."

"Zhang Bu has already lost two perils. Against Liu Xiu, he can still rely on the Langya highlands to obstruct him for a time, but facing the Wei army, apart from the shallow River Ji, he has no defensible terrain!"

Zhang Yu was amused. Fulong had placed second in the first civil service examination's top tier, and was not much older than himself. Though a scholar, he possessed a certain staunch, fiery spirit, utterly unlike his slick father, the great Confucian Fu Zhan. So he asked: "Then according to Master Fulong, how should the land of Qi be conquered?"

Fulong boldly declared: "In my view, we should order the shock cavalry to cross the River Ji, and under the pretext of paying homage to the Martial King Zhuang of Qi (Tian Heng) and reclaiming His Majesty's ancestral county of Di, advance to occupy Qiansheng Commandery and threaten Jinan!"

"If we do this, I, without bringing a single foot of troops, will enter Linzi and will certainly be able to compel Zhang Bu to surrender his territory and enter court. With the Governor and Commandant of Qingzhou following close behind, we can then have all the commanderies of Qingzhou submit upon receipt of a proclamation."

Zhang Yu nodded inwardly, thinking to himself: "He is a fine minister, only far too rigid and orthodox. But how could matters be so simple? If we truly did this, Fulong would likely become a second Li Yiji, boiled alive by Zhang Bu! His Majesty has not misjudged people — no wonder he made me the chief envoy."

He then shook his head and said: "Though the Master's strategy is satisfying, the time is not yet right. When His Majesty dispatched me eastward, he said that it is precisely because Zhang Bu still holds the advantage of a defensive position against Liu Xiu that we must all the more keep him steady!"

"If we break with Zhang Bu too early, he will surely defect entirely to Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu has no shortage of fine generals and wise ministers under his command. If, under the banner of aiding Zhang Bu, they smoothly cross Langya, and we, relying on troops exhausted from the recent River Ji and Yellow River campaigns, become bogged down in the hills of eastern Qingzhou — I fear we would be locked in a prolonged stalemate."

Zhang Bu deeply agreed with one remark of Diwu Lun's: "Exterminating the Red Eyebrows cannot be delayed; unifying all under Heaven cannot be rushed!"

Wei's strength was the greatest, but too many factors decide cold-weapon warfare. Even when facing Zhang Bu, Diwu Lun still wanted to build up his power first, then deliver a single fatal blow!

Because Fu Long had only received the edict partway and did not know the true situation, Zhang Yu, seeing that he was no mere pedantic scholar, explained the real circumstances to him: "This time, you and I entering Qi is nothing but an exercise in vertical-and-horizontal stratagems. Granting a kingship, demanding tribute and women — it is all mutual deception."

Zhang Yu even changed his form of address, shifting from the distant "Minister" to using Fu Long's courtesy name. Drawing closer to him, he said:

"His Majesty knows that Bowen is upright and unbending by nature, so he sends you to engage with rectitude, while ordering me to handle the crafty and expedient matters — so as not to put Bowen in a difficult position."

"So that is how it is!"

Fu Long was deeply moved. Far from blaming Diwu Lun for keeping him in the dark, he felt grateful that the Emperor had taken such pains and thought on his behalf. Just imagine — had Fu Long truly been given full authority to handle everything, this upright gentleman would certainly have been stifled and miserable to death.

Zhang Yu said: "When Bowen returns, why not explain the situation here plainly, and present a strategy for seizing Qing Province… Rest assured, in less than a year, once the shock cavalry have fed on Jizhou's grain and recovered their vigor, and the fine horses of Youzhou have been fully replenished, sweeping through the western commanderies of Qing Province will be effortless! Zhang Bu wants to straddle both sides; he is bound to block Liu Xiu from entering Qi in the east as well. When that time comes, he will surely regret it too late!"

Fu Long was overjoyed, but then immediately fell back into the mental trap of an upright gentleman. Worried, he said: "At that time, since we will have already enfeoffed Zhang Bu as King of Qi of Great Wei, how will we have a just cause to send troops?"

"Ha ha ha!"

Zhang Yu laughed heartily. He turned his head and looked at the group of Qi maidens bearing tribute. This lot — knowing the Wei Emperor's temperament — not a single one would be let off; all would be sent to Shanglin Park to be weaving girls!

Zhang Yu's eyes turned murderous.

If one seeks to frame a man, is there ever a lack of pretext? He had already thought one up on Diwu Lun's behalf.

"The 'sea man' offered as tribute by Zhang Bu is poisonous — an attempt to murder His Majesty! Is this not the finest pretext to begin a war?!"