Chapter 545: You Cannot Grasp Them

Diwu Lun asked Wan Xiu his opinion of Wu Han, and Wan Xiu spoke frankly.

"Wu Ziyan has a fiercely competitive nature. Every time he goes on campaign, when the other generals see the battle turning against them, some grow fearful and lose their fighting spirit. Wu Han alone remains as spirited as ever — enough to rally the entire army."

Having finished with the strengths, Wan Xiu added: "But Wu Han as a man has three loves: he loves war, he loves victory, and he loves killing."

"At word of battle he turns rabid as a mad dog; to secure victory he will stop at nothing; and when the fighting ends he deliberately lets his troops run wild with slaughter and plunder. These are Wu Han's flaws."

"Well said, Junyou." Diwu Lun nodded. "Last winter, the Longyou campaign bogged down, and with the Red Eyebrows stirring up trouble in the east, I could not wait for you to finish the job and had to hurry back east. Afterward I was caught up planning the great He-Ji campaign and neglected Liang Province. Junyou also fell ill and returned — with no one left to rein Wu Han in, in barely half a year Longyou has begun to show signs of serious unrest."

"This makes it clear: Wu Han can serve as a keen blade that cuts through all resistance, but he must never be left to hold a region."

Nor can the blame fall entirely on Wu Han — the situation in Long is far too complicated. Newly seized territory, Han–Qiang conflict, foreign powers, all tangled together. The waters run deep here. Wu Han is only a soldier; he cannot grasp them.

Wu Han is a fine blade. Diwu Lun once used him to cut through Long Slope. Now the time has come to sheathe this knife!

"It seems I must still mend the pen after the sheep are lost, and find a suitable general for Liang Province."

The words had barely faded when Wan Xiu volunteered: "After several months of rest, your servant is now fully recovered and willing to share Your Majesty's burdens!"

But that was not the purpose of Diwu Lun's visit today. Looking at Wan Xiu, immobilized on his sickbed, he shook his head. "You must not toil and travel any further. The imperial physician has said that for half a year you absolutely must not ride horseback. Besides, you too have an important duty!"

Diwu Lun rose to his feet. "I have decided to elevate Luoyang to the Central Capital. By late autumn I shall journey east, to personally oversee next year's campaign into Qing Province from close at hand!"

Wan Xiu understood. "Your Majesty intends to reside permanently in Luoyang?"

Diwu Lun said, "Indeed. Since the state policy is set as 'first east, then west,' from next year onward, for several years, the fighting will be concentrated east of the Passes. Luoyang will be more convenient."

"But the Western Capital must still have someone left in charge. Cen Peng is already garrisoning the south. The man to guard the Guanzhong region is, of course, the General of the Guard!"

This post required an old general of sufficient prestige and seniority, yet one who need not rush about east and west — he could simply lie up in Chang'an. It suited Wan Xiu perfectly.

But instead of delight, Wan Xiu grew worried. With Diwu Lun still in Chang'an, Liang Province was already in this sorry state; once the distance grew even greater, what then?

Diwu Lun shared the worry. He sighed. "Though Diba Jiao serves as Inspector of Liang Province, it is already good enough if he can manage the four commanderies of Hexi. I must replace Wu Han with a grand border administrator who excels in both civil and military affairs."

His gaze turned to Wan Xiu. "Do you have anyone else to recommend?"

Since the Emperor was "humbly seeking counsel," Wan Xiu did not hesitate and spoke a name.

"Dou the Duke of Zhou can shoulder this duty!"

Wan Xiu said, "Your servant has heard that Dou Rong's great-grandfather once served as Governor of Zhangye, his granduncle served as Colonel Protecting the Qiang, and his cousin is now Governor of Wuwei. Thus, Dou Rong's family has lived in Hexi for generations and knows the local customs."

"And Dou Rong is accomplished in both civil and military arts, steady in temperament, utterly unlike Wu Han. If he were to garrison Liang Province, he would be more than capable of pacifying the local magnates and winning over the Qiang tribes."

To his surprise, Diwu Lun shook his head and flatly rejected the proposal. "Dou Rong is mild-mannered, more than sufficient in civil strategy, but I fear he would have trouble keeping Wu Han's arrogant officers and fierce troops in check."

That was only one of the reasons. Diwu Lun had other considerations — not that he feared Dou Rong would become a new warlord in Liang Province. Though old the Duke of Zhou had once set his heart on Hexi, all that was yesterday's cloud and mist. If he were dispatched west now, Dou Rong would likely feel wronged!

"the Duke of Zhou has another assignment." Diwu Lun fobbed him off with this remark, still refusing to explain, determined to press Wan Xiu into recommending that one person.

Now Wan Xiu was in a bind. After much thought, he could only say:

"Your Majesty, there is one more man suited to garrison Liang Province!"

……

In the second year of Wude, in the ninth month, Luoyang brimmed with a festive air. The local Confucian scholars and great merchants had suddenly begun singing the praises of the Wei Emperor without cease.

"The establishment of a secondary capital began in the time of King Wu of Zhou. The Zhou people were originally a western land; after their eastern conquest succeeded, the Zhou royal cities of Feng and Hao lay far off in Guanzhong, and they indeed faced the worry that their reach could not extend to the east. Thus King Wu wished to establish a secondary capital at the Yi and Luo rivers, to fix Heaven's safeguard and rest by Heaven's chamber — but Heaven did not grant him enough years. Later King Cheng took the throne and had the Duke of Zhou resume building the city of Luoyi, fulfilling King Wu's intent. Thus Luoyang came to be."

"From this we see that Luoyang was a secondary capital from the very beginning! With Chenggao guarding its left, Mianchi blocking its right, facing Songgao before and the Great River behind, building Xingyang and supporting Hedong, a thousand li north to south forming a barrier, and close to the grain stores of Aocang — this is a land of strategic advantage!"

"Alas that Han Gao abandoned Luoyang and went west. Thus neither Qin nor Han had a secondary capital. Xin Mang wished to move the capital to Luoyang, but it came to nothing."

"Only now, with His Majesty the Wei Emperor establishing the Five-Capital system, does it accord with the true intent of the ancient sages!"

What could make the people of Luoyang praise him so was simply that Diwu Lun had finally decided to elevate Luoyang to the Central Capital.

This move immensely satisfied the historical pride of Luoyang's officials and people. After all, in terms of city-wall scale and population, Luoyang was no worse than Chang'an; in commercial prosperity and cultural tradition it was even somewhat stronger. Only in political status, ever since the fall of the Eastern Zhou, had it always been kept a notch below Chang'an. Chang'an and Luoyang were like a tale of two cities, and the scholars of the two places secretly competed and compared.

What galled the people of Luoyang most was that when Diwu Lun set up the Five-Capital system, the first to become a secondary capital was not Luoyang, but Yecheng in the north!

This the people of Luoyang could not accept. Four hundred years ago, Luoyang was already the great city of Chengzhou, while Yecheng was still a patch of wasteland, carrying on the absurd practice of marrying off daughters to the River Earl! But who could blame them — Yecheng was the land where Diwu Lun's dragon rose, and the dynasty's very name was tied to it.

But since there were to be five capitals, surely Luoyang could claim one of the three remaining slots?

This was not merely a matter of face. It also meant a full set of secondary-capital government offices, which would certainly create a flood of vacant posts; it meant that Luoyang's flagging commerce would receive a great many court orders.

It also meant that in the future, under the name of a secondary capital, a large portion of the taxes from east of the Passes could be retained in Luoyang, rather than all being shipped to Chang'an.

And so for several years, any Luoyang official or merchant with the slightest connections at court had ceaselessly lobbied courtiers, hoping for an early decision. Liu Bang had once made Luoyang his capital; from the Exalted Emperor down to Wang Mang, Luoyang's Southern Palace, Northern Palace, and arsenal had never been abandoned. As long as Diwu Lun was willing, he could simply move right in.

Now that their wish was finally fulfilled, how could the people of Luoyang not be overjoyed?

A saying even began to circulate among them: "The Odes say, 'The people are worn with toil; let them have a little ease. Show kindness to this Zhongguo, and so give peace to the four quarters.' … Zhongguo means the capital, the place of ultimate goodness. Luoyang has always been the center of all under Heaven, and now the Son of Heaven has designated Luoyang the Central Capital — does this not mean that Luoyang is in truth the foremost of the three capitals!"

Borne aloft by such fancies, the people of Luoyang were no longer content to be a mere secondary capital; they were ready to try challenging Chang'an's status.

In stark contrast to the excitement of Luoyang, the men from west of the Passes at court — especially the men of the Five Tombs, who held a dominant share of numbers and power in the imperial court — grew deeply troubled amid these swirling rumors.

Sure enough, while Diwu Lun was still en route to Luoyang, the accompanying Master of Documents, Du Du, presented a major composition, the ink barely dry.

"A Fu Discourse on the Capital?"

"Your servant has heard that to know and know again is true knowing. What your servant wishes to say, Your Majesty already knows; therefore I shall sketch only the outline and dare not set it all forth."

Diwu Lun glanced at Du Du, prostrated before him with the air of one offering blunt remonstrance, ready at any moment to die a martyr's righteous death, and read on with a smile.

"A guest holds that a sharp weapon must not long lie idle, and that the state has not forgotten the Western Capital — why then must you go to the stagnant pools of Luoyi?"

This grand fu was very long. Its content was nothing more than recounting the history of Qin and Han fixing their capitals in the west, depicting the strategic terrain of Chang'an, and along the way sneering at Luoyang's so-called "natural defenses of mountain and river" as a mere trifle within a two-hundred-li circuit — how could it compare with the eight-hundred-li Qin plain?

Thus the core of the entire fu was still the hope that Diwu Lun would not be misled by "the petty crowd" and abandon Chang'an.

Though it was argued with sound reasoning and sincere concern for the state, Diwu Lun knew that the Guanzhong scholars led by Du Du had their own interests at stake.

The men of the Five Tombs formed the bulk of the Wei dynasty's meritorious nobility and bureaucracy; they had profited greatly in the founding of the state. They were almost all established clans and great landlords. With Chang'an as the capital, houses within the city and farmland in the surrounding area were worth more than ten times those in ordinary commanderies and counties. This high value was sustained by its status as the political center, and the incremental price increases depended on the capital's population-siphoning effect…

This was precisely why Diwu Lun had to go to the trouble of the Five-Capital system. The water and soil around Chang'an were already in poor condition — the groundwater was salty and bitter, the Jing and Wei rivers perpetually turbid. Grain could barely manage self-sufficiency, but fuel was in severe shortage. The forests of northern Shaanxi were nearly all cut down; Diwu Lun, with no other choice, had already approved opening up the Shanglin Park.

But those were emergency measures. For long-term development, Diwu Lun could only establish several secondary capitals politically, to slightly divert the population siphon.

That said, Diwu Lun still had to soothe the hearts of Du Du and the other Guanzhong scholars. He smiled and said, "A fine fu indeed. In former days Sima Xiangru composed verse and fu to remonstrate with his sovereign; you too possess something of his manner."

To be compared to Sima Xiangru — these words made Du Du's heart bloom with delight.

Diwu Lun did not directly respond to the fu, but merely gave an order: "Have this Fu Discourse on the Capital copied one hundred times and distributed to the Western Capital, the Northern Capital, and the Central Capital."

The disdain chain between cities is practically a national treasure — it exists in every dynasty and every era.

The people of the Western Capital, Chang'an, would assume this was Diwu Lun's meaning: Chang'an is the one and only primary capital! As for the other two capitals, the people of Yecheng would most likely just enjoy the spectacle, while the Luoyang scholars, with their fierce pride, would probably rise to the challenge, writing essays in droves to refute Du Du — it might even erupt into a full-scale polemical war...

Don't misunderstand — what Diwu Lun wanted was not "truth emerges from debate." What he wanted was to incite rivalry and competition among scholars and interest groups from different regions.

When the imperial carriage reached Luoyang, as expected, he received a welcome far warmer than on previous occasions.

Diwu Lun, however, kept a low profile. Citing a wish not to disturb the people of Luoyang, he moved directly into the Luoyang Southern Palace, which had once served as a temporary imperial residence, and summoned Dou Rong — whom Diwu Lun privately and jokingly thought of as "the spokesman of the Luoyang faction."

As Colonel Director of Retainers, Dou Rong had been guarding the east for two years, and the Luoyang scholars were especially close to him. But Dou, the Duke of Zhou, was quite cautious: he had sent both his nephews and sons to court to serve as gentlemen attendants at Diwu Lun's side. As for bribes from the great Luoyang merchants, he did not refuse them — he simply forwarded the goods, along with the account books, to Diwu Lun to replenish the state treasury.

After hearing Dou Rong's report on the situation in the east over the past few months, Diwu Lun said with feeling, "Duke of Zhou, it has been over four years since you began following me, has it not?"

"Four years and three months!" Dou Rong, suddenly alert, precisely stated the time he had entered Diwu Lun's service: it was in the sixth month of the year the Xin Dynasty fell, when Diwu Lun was campaigning against the Great Xin's last loyal minister, Tian Kuang. Dou Rong had fled back from the battlefield at Kunyang, leading a remnant force into the fray, only to be charged by the Rapid Cavalry camp...

"When you were in Hedong, you were diligent and conscientious, governing that great commandery well — defending against Liu Ziyu in the east, aiding Jing Dan in the south, and repelling Greenwood incursions."

Diwu Lun continued, "Later, you directed the Henan campaign, moved your headquarters to Luoyang, coordinated grain and fodder from the Three He regions to supply State Commandant Ma, and in the Heji campaign, you personally led civilian laborers from the rear, ensuring the baggage train for the three armies."

"These were merely the duties your servant was bound to perform!" Dou Rong replied obsequiously.

Diwu Lun smiled. "No wonder some at court have proposed to me that the Duke of Zhou, with his immense service and merit, should not remain long at the two-thousand-bushel rank. They say you ought to be promoted soon to a substantive generalship — would a 'General Who Guards the West' not be sufficient qualification?"

Hearing this, Dou Rong's heart lurched. He thought to himself, Could it be that His Majesty intends to transfer me to Liang Province?

His cousin was already in Wuwei Commandery, and Dou Rong had heard something of the recent situation in Liang Province. Although Wu Han had used brute military force to suppress the unrest among the Eastern Qiang and the Di people, that approach, in the complex circumstances of the Long region, was hardly a stroke of brilliance.

If Diwu Lun really promoted him to "General Who Guards the West," he would certainly be sent to clean up the mess in the west. In his early years, Dou Rong had indeed yearned to go to Hexi — because his ancestors had held office there, the region was rich, and its cavalry were elite. At a time when the fate of the realm was still unknown, it was a place where one could carve out a separate domain, hold one's ground, observe the situation, and allow the Dou clan to survive the chaos.

But the situation was different now. The Wei's unification of the realm was already a foregone conclusion. Dou Rong only wanted to be a loyal functionary in peace. He was doing perfectly well in the prosperous east — who would want to go to Liang Province to endure hardship and face the maddening chaos of the Qiang?

What was more, after his defeat at Fengling Ford, Dou Rong absolutely did not want to touch military authority again unless forced. He was not like Diwu Lun's founding veterans; he had only joined midway. It was no surprise he faced some suspicion and exclusion. Since he could rise through civil governance, why rely on military achievement?

But aloud, Dou Rong could only bow his head once more and say, "Your servant is but the shield in Your Majesty's hand. Wherever there is need, your servant is willing to plunge into water or fire!"

"Water, fire — that recommendation, I rejected it."

Diwu Lun laughed heartily. "Long ago, Emperor Gaozu had Xiao He guard the Guanzhong heartland. From then on, he had no worries about the west and could concentrate on the east of the mountains, ultimately achieving his great enterprise. Now, with you stationed in Luoyang, firmly managing transport and supply, providing ample provisions, and ensuring the frontline armies are well-resourced — you have the very merit of a Xiao He!"

Diwu Lun said, "Liang Province is a threat at one's elbow; the Central Plain is the heartland. To secure the state, pacify the people, and deliver provisions and pay — in all these matters, how could I do without the Duke of Zhou?"

His hand came to rest on Dou Rong's shoulder. The next words Diwu Lun spoke, though softly uttered, sent Dou Rong's spirit soaring almost to the clouds!

"In my view, a substantive generalship is still too small. You, sir, are worthy of..."

Diwu Lun patted Dou Rong twice. "... the Chancellorship of the Right!"