Chapter 551: Envoy of War

The Grand Chancellor of Han, Deng Yu, had a face as fair as jade. Young in years, he was only twenty-five this year. He had not taken part in the great battle of Kunyang, and after following Liu Xiu, the military merits he had won were few. Yet he had been able to defeat a host of rivals and rise to the ranks of the Three Excellencies — this left many outsiders baffled.

Liu Xiu did offer a reason. He once said he valued Deng Yu for three things. First, Deng Yu was skilled at recognizing talent. When Liu Xiu, leading an army of outsiders, took control of Xu and Yang provinces, most of the local scholars were recommended to him after Deng Yu paid them visits. Every time Deng Yu recommended a man, he would attach an appraisal, and afterward the man's abilities always matched his post — he almost never misjudged anyone.

Second, the troops under Deng Yu maintained strict discipline. Wherever they went, he excelled at proclaiming Liu Xiu's virtue. Halting his carriage and resting his tally of office, he would offer comfort and greetings. Old men and white-haired elders, young children with dangling locks, would vie to greet him at his carriage, and none were not moved to gratitude and joy. In newly conquered regions, his reputation was excellent.

Of course, the most important point was that Liu Xiu believed Deng Yu was a talent in the mold of Zhang Liang — not only deeply devoted to loyalty and filial piety, but also capable of devising strategies within the command tent that would decide victory a thousand li away!

Recently, the Shu envoy Fang Wang, who never spoke but to astonish, had proposed a dubious strategy of "exchanging Jingzhou." Liu Xiu promptly issued an urgent order for Deng Yu, who was drilling troops in Huainan, to return and discuss the matter with his trusted confidants.

"Yiling (Yichang in Hubei) is here."

Liu Xiu's maps were far less accurate than those of Diwu Lun; they were still the ones left from the Former Han, riddled with errors. Yet there were few men who could skillfully point out the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces.

Following Deng Yu's indication, the assembled men looked toward the western part of Nan Commandery, at a small port town on the verge of the Yangtze River.

Deng Yu indeed possessed the talent of an advisor. He spoke of the strategic advantages of each region as if enumerating his own family treasures: "This city of Yiling guards the mouth of the Three Gorges and lies at the tail of the Cloud-Marsh. In the Warring States period, it was already a vital territory of Chu. Situated upstream from Jiangling, the capital of Nan Commandery, if it falls into the hands of the westerners, they can threaten the downstream. If it is controlled by the easterners, they can resist the ships coming from Ba and Shu."

"According to what Fang Wang says, the reason Gongsun Shu would rather give up the wealthy Jiangling and insist on taking Yiling is to control the exit of the Three Gorges. Once you cross the river south from Yiling, you can reach counties like Gong'an. Further south, there are open roads leading straight to Changsha and Wuling."

Deng Yu said: "If we follow Fang Wang's plan, the Chengjia state and our dynasty will divide Jingzhou with the Cloud-Marsh and the Great River as the boundary. Chengjia will take the four commanderies of southern Jing, while we take northern Jing, reaching straight to Xiangyang and bordering Wei."

"What do you, my ministers, think?" Liu Xiu did not rush to declare his stance. He merely had Deng Yu lay out the general situation, then asked the other men in the hall.

As one of the senior generals under Liu Xiu, the Captain of the Guard, Fu Jun, was quick to speak: "This strategist surnamed Fang is cunning. Trading half of Nan Commandery plus half of Jiangxia for three commanderies like Changsha — no matter how you look at it, Chengjia reaps all the advantage."

Fu Jun was a military man and only stared at the number of commanderies, with little understanding of their internal details. Deng Yu smiled and said, "General of the Crossbow Battery, the accounts cannot be settled that way."

True to his reputation as a prodigy who had entered the Imperial Academy in his teens, Deng Yu, relying solely on memory, recited the household registers of these commanderies.

"Changsha has thirteen counties and a population of two hundred thirty thousand. Guiyang has eleven counties and a population of one hundred fifty thousand. Lingling Commandery has ten counties and the smallest population, a mere one hundred thirty thousand. All three are minor commanderies."

"As for Jiangxia in northern Jing, it is also not large, its population comparable to Changsha's."

"Nan Commandery alone, however, is extraordinary, with a population of seven to eight hundred thousand. Subtract the few counties Chengjia specifically demands, and further subtract the numbers lost to death and flight during the Greenwood and other great rebellions, and at least five hundred thousand remain. Thus, half of Nan Commandery can match the three commanderies of southern Jing."

Fu Jun's eyes widened: "So you're saying, this exchange actually yields a profit?" He then shook his head: "But northern Jing is still in the hands of that King of Chuli. Gongsun Shu and Fang Wang are being generous with another man's property — there is no such trade in this world!"

"Exactly. Even if exchanging territory might gain us a few more households, it is merely bait coated in honey, and a sharp hook must lie behind it!" The Grand Herald Zhu You seconded Fu Jun. He rose and addressed Liu Xiu: "Your Majesty, Fang Wang's move is merely using the name of a land exchange to deliberately make our dynasty neighbor Diwu Lun's Nanyang in Jingzhou, so that we will block the Wei army for him, while Gongsun Shu can seize the gap to expand his territory in the south."

Zhu You paced over to the map and pointed out his concern: "Just as Chancellor Deng said earlier, the reason Fang Wang demands Yiling for Gongsun Shu is to facilitate control over the four commanderies of southern Jing. Changsha and the other places in southern Jing are the ancient territory of the Three Miao. Bordered by the Five Ranges in the south and the Cloud-Marsh in the north, they pacify the Man and Yi barbarians within and control the Baiyue without. This minister believes that Chengjia's ultimate aim in this move is Jiaozhou!"

Jiaozhou was the southernmost of the Han dynasty's thirteen Regional Inspectorates. After Emperor Wu of Han destroyed Nanyue, he established nine commanderies there. Later, two on Hainan Island were abolished due to rebellion, leaving only seven. As the most remote and sweltering province under heaven, Jiaozhou had always been regarded by the Central Plains as a savage wilderness. Even Liu Xiu knew little about it and could only ask Deng Yu, who had read widely, was well-informed, and seemed to know everything.

"Earlier, I ordered the Grand Chancellor to send men south from Yuzhang to investigate. What is the situation in Jiaozhou now?"

The reports Deng Yu had received were not yet complete, and he had not had time to report them, so he now presented them together: "Your Majesty, the commanderies of Nanhai and Hepu are still controlled by the Xin dynasty's Governor of Jiaozhou, Deng Rang. But the five commanderies of Cangwu, Jiaozhi, and the rest each act on their own, carving out independent domains, and do not much heed his orders."

Liu Xiu had some impression of this man: "I recall that Deng Rang is also a man of Nanyang. Is he related to the Deng clan of Xinye?"

Deng Yu understood Liu Xiu's meaning and sighed: "There is a kinship, but the two families separated over a hundred years ago, and the blood ties have thinned. Deng Rang is of the Jiyang Deng clan. This minister is not acquainted with him, but I have heard that Deng Rang is on friendly terms with the Wei general Cen Peng…"

At these words, Zhu You and the others were puzzled: "Grand Chancellor, Cen Peng was merely a minor county clerk back then. How could he have a prior connection with a full Provincial Governor?"

Deng Yu said: "It is said that after Cen Peng won the favor of Yan Erudite, he was promoted to a commander of a thousand men. Deng Rang happened to be traveling south to take up his post and passed through Yan You's camp. Hearing that Cen Peng was a fellow townsman from the same county and skilled in warfare, he wished to transfer Cen Peng to his side as a Commandery Arms Clerk and take him to Jiaozhou, but Cen Peng politely declined. Nevertheless, the two maintained contact from then on. Now Cen Peng is Diwu Lun's General Who Guards the South, stationed in Wancheng, and has sent troops to guard Deng Rang's ancestral tombs and relatives. The envoys he sent from southern Jing to Jiaozhou likely set out earlier than the Han envoys."

Liu Xiu sighed with emotion: "No wonder, then. It has been nearly half a year since I declared myself emperor, and the envoys sent to Jiaozhou have long since traveled south, yet Deng Rang merely offers false compliance and still has not pledged allegiance or offered territory to the Great Han. He only sends troops to guard the passes of the Five Ranges, cutting off north from south. Could it be that his heart belongs to Wei?"

Fortunately, Jiaozhou was not internally unified. Apart from Deng Rang, at least the two commanderies of Cangwu and Jiaozhi were independent domains that did not much heed the Governor's orders, and for the moment posed no threat to the Eastern Han's southern border.

Looking at it this way, Jiaozhou seemed more foe than friend. The Great Han was truly pressed on all sides, every step a struggle. The assembled men all sank into deep thought.

Only then did Deng Yu straighten his robes and cap and formally present his proposal to Liu Xiu: "Your Majesty, in this minister's view, although Fang Wang is wildly arrogant, his heart is truly set on an alliance. This plan he proposes, exchanging northern Jing for southern Jing, is indeed more advantageous to Han!"

Had his own words been for nothing? Zhu You immediately objected: "Grand Chancellor, if we make this exchange, the Han army will have to resist the Wei ruler's main army in northern Jing, while Gongsun Shu can use us as a screen. To wantonly carve up territory to enrich another's enterprise — if we let him take all of Jiaozhou and strengthen his national power, I fear he will become a great threat to Han's rear! It is clearly Chengjia that reaps all the advantage."

Deng Yu smiled: "I thought the same at first, but upon deeper reflection, I discovered that this is precisely the ingenuity of Fang Wang's stratagem."

"According to Fang Wang, Gongsun Shu is greedy and vulgar by nature, yet lacks great ambition. Although he declared himself emperor early, his true intent is merely regional hegemony. Recently thwarted in the north, he desires to expand southward, but is frustrated by the obstacle of Yiling and urgently needs the Han army's assistance. He will certainly be interested in the land exchange, and in Jiaozhou."

"However, the situation in Jiaozhou is complex. Governor Deng Rang is on good terms with Wei generals and wishes to serve a great power. He refuses to submit even to the Great Han, let alone to Gongsun Shu. It will take Gongsun several years just to control southern Jing, and then he must advance south to attack Jiaozhou — but are the Five Ranges so easily crossed?"

Deng Yu began to recount past events: "In the time of the First Emperor of Qin, he sent Commandant Tu Sui with five hundred thousand troops, divided into five armies. For three years they did not remove their armor or unstring their crossbows. They had soldiers dig canals to open supply routes, and fought with the Yue people. But the result was that the Qin army shed blood by the hundreds of thousands. Only after three successive campaigns did they conquer the Baiyue."

"In former times, when Emperor Wu of Han attacked Nanyue, he also dispatched a hundred thousand troops, with famous generals like Lu Bode in command, divided into five routes. One army marched from Guiyang, one from Yuzhang, two from Lingling, and one army, bringing convicts from Ba and Shu, mobilized the troops of Yelang and descended the Zangke River. The five armies converged at Panyu, and only thus could they slaughter Nanyue and divide it into nine commanderies."

He smiled contemptuously: "But now, even if Ba and Shu take southern Jing, they can only launch troops from Guiyang and Lingling. Yuzhang (Jiangxi) to the east is in the hands of the Great Han. Zangke to the west has the kingdom of Gouding. Wang Mang spent nearly ten years and lost a hundred thousand men, yet still could not destroy Gouding. What can Gongsun Shu do?"

"If Gongsun Shu crosses thousands of li to dispatch troops and seize Jiaozhou, the result will surely be wasted time and nothing gained. Instead, he will exhaust and impoverish southern Jing. When, five or ten years from now, the time comes to fall out with Chengjia, Your Majesty can send naval and land forces to cut off Yiling and the Three Gorges, and the four commanderies like Changsha can return to the governance of the Great Han."

This possibility was indeed very high. After all, even Liu Xiu had no certain ambition to take Jiaozhou, blocked as it was by mountains and rivers.

Zhu You nodded: "The Grand Chancellor has only explained why this matter is of no benefit to Chengjia. What benefit does it bring to Han? I beg you to instruct us!"

Deng Yu's words rang with force: "The greatest benefit of this matter is that it gives the Great Han the opportunity to gain all the strategic strongpoints of Jingzhou!"

He paced to the map and pointed at three spots: "Setting aside Nanyang, though Jingzhou is large, its critical points are only three. One is Jiangling, the second is Jiangxia, and the third is Xiangyang."

"Jiangling is the center of all Jing. The Chu people made Ying their capital and grew strong; when Yan and Ying fell, the state could no longer stand. Today, Jiangling is a metropolis on the Great River, its population thriving, its market roads bustling, where one wears fresh clothes at dawn and shabby clothes by dusk. Occupying it yields tens of thousands in market taxes. Thus it is said: the weight of Jingzhou lies in Jiangling."

"As for Jiangxia (Wuchang), though its population is not large, it lies upstream from Yangzhou. If the southeast holds it, it survives; if it loses it, it perishes. In former times, King Helü of Wu struck upstream against Chu, routing the Chu army on the shores of Jiangxia, and the foundations of his hegemony were laid. By the time of King Goujian of Yue, having lost the upstream, Chu was able to flow downstream. After a hundred years of gradual encroachment, it finally annexed Jiangdong. Thus it is said: the weight of the southeast lies in Jiangxia."

"Finally, there is Xiangyang. This place straddles and links Jing and Wan, controlling and blocking north and south. A hub of water and land routes, it is truly the waist and spine of the realm!"

The first two points the men could still understand, but Deng Yu's sudden, lofty assessment of a minor place like Xiangyang struck them as somewhat laughable.

After all, as men of Nanyang, they had always looked down on this poor neighbor, Xiangyang.

Deng Yu explained: "Xiangyang is the northern barrier of Jingzhou. To its west are the Jing Mountains and Wudang; to its east, Greenwood Mountain. The terrain is narrow and constricted, yet the Han River passes through it, and strong cities guard it. If Wei holds Xiangyang, there are no further natural defenses to the south. It can swallow northern Jing, threaten Jiangling and Jiangxia, and sever the alliance of Wu and Shu. But if Han gains Xiangyang, it can keep Wei beyond the border, and even recover Chongling and Nanyang. In the contest for the realm, its importance cannot be overstated!"

He looked toward Liu Xiu, who had been silently listening to his ministers' debate: "Your Majesty, although Diwu Lun cannot be swiftly destroyed, if Your Majesty wishes to fight him, you must seize Xiangyang to serve as an outer screen for Jiangxia, and use Xiangyang to press against Wei! Thus, with the Huai River in the east and Jing-Xiang in the west, the Great Han's half of the realm can be secured. Then, defending the southeast while watching for cracks in the realm, the day may come to march north into the Central Plains!"

Deng Yu could not conceive of a quick victory over Diwu Lun, but he felt that this strategy would allow Han to seize the defensive advantage and draw this game of weiqi out for a long time.

Zhu You and the others were stunned speechless by Deng Yu's interlocking strategy. They still did not fully understand, but they were deeply shaken.

And Liu Xiu finally clapped his hands and laughed: "Grand Chancellor, you are truly my Zifang!"

Liu Xiu was deeply gratified. He had not misjudged the man. Deng Yu's speech had undoubtedly parted the clouds to reveal the sun, laying the foundation for the future strategy of this petty court of "Eastern Han."

He decided to send Zhu You to Chengdu to conclude an alliance with Gongsun Shu as soon as possible and complete the land exchange.

"Diwu Lun will not give us much time. The campaign against the King of Chuli must begin next year… no, if possible, it must begin this very winter!"

Once his resolve was set, Liu Xiu threw himself into the objective without hesitation. But Deng Yu also pointed out one enormous hidden danger in this strategy.

He cautiously raised the point: "Your Majesty, if we decide to first take Jing and Chu, it means one thing."

"I know." Liu Xiu understood: "The fresh troops of Jiangdong will be shifted west and placed under Feng Yi's command. This means that for a year or two, the Huai region will not receive enough reinforcements, let alone be able to contend with Diwu Lun for Qingzhou."

Diwu Lun must strike Qing Province first — that was the conjecture Deng Yu put forward. Though the State of Wei is powerful, with troops at least five times those of Han, its sheer size means enemies press in from every direction; the forces it can concentrate at a single point amount to no more than two hundred thousand and change.

Knowing Diwu Lun's caution, he likely will not open war on two fronts at once. They mean to seize exactly that gap — while the King of Qi, Zhang Bu, struggles to hold off Diwu Lun, they will strike together with the Shu army in one blow and take northern Jing!

"In the present situation, Qing Province has become a mere border appendage, not worth contesting. I worry about only one thing."

Liu Xiu clasped his hands behind his back and gazed northeast, his heavy brows furrowing. "I have a feeling that what Diwu Lun truly wants to seize is not Qing Province — he means to use the offensive against Qi as cover to drive his main army's spearhead straight at Xu and Si!"

…

A month later, in the second year of Wude (AD 26), late in the eleventh month, the snow came early that year, and the Southern Palace at Luoyang lay mantled in unbroken white.

General Cen Peng, Defender of the South for Great Wei, dismounted at the inner gate of the Southern Palace, exhaled a cloud of white breath, lifted his head for a look, and then walked forward along the flagstone path the palace guards had swept clear of snow. The Fifth Emperor was waiting for them inside the hall, the stove already stoked.

Ahead of Cen Peng walked one man — the young and fiery General of Chariots and Cavalry, Young Geng, who did not wait for his colleagues, his pace extremely swift.

Behind Cen Peng, walking shoulder to shoulder, came General Who Pacifies the East, Zhang Zong, and General Who Sweeps the Field, Zheng Tong — the two of them chatting and laughing.

Bringing up the very rear was the tall, strapping Tiger-Tusk General, Gai Yan.

The five generals charged with the Guandong region had assembled here, and that meant only one thing.

"A new war is not far off!"