Chapter 569: Trembling Hands

Ren Guang was not the only one who accompanied the imperial progress to Nanyang — the Grand Minister of Agriculture, Ren Guang, was also there.

Ren Guang was a native of Wancheng, and this journey south felt very much like "returning home in silken robes." In the past he had been a mere township Bailiff under the Xin Dynasty, handling reception duties and managing trivial village disputes — neighbors quarreling over land, unfilial sons beating their fathers, even neighbors committing adultery. Now he was one of the Nine Ministers, overseeing the empire's farmland and grain, routinely handling projects worth hundreds of millions.

Nanyang had many powerful families, but as the banners atop the city walls changed, the great clans of the past — Li, Deng, Fan, Liu — had all become yesterday's faded blossoms. Under the rule of the State of Wei, the houses about to rise were Ren, Cen, Wu, and perhaps one could add the Xinye Yin clan, who had picked the right side at the final moment.

Yet Ren Guang did not wallow in the flattery of old village acquaintances, nor did he pay any heed to the pleas of distant and close relatives angling for official posts. He even stopped his own clansmen from seizing land by exploiting his name, publicly rebuking them to reinforce his image as an incorruptible official.

This homecoming was to carry out great affairs for His Majesty the Emperor; the time for leisurely enjoyment was still far off.

Ren Guang did not feel his official career had peaked. Though he had not shifted posts in four years, the measure of power lay not in the title but in how much trust the Emperor placed in him. By serving loyally and diligently, Ren Guang had already won considerable appreciation from Diwu Lun, gaining access to core decisions from which even Feng Yan and Yin Shi were excluded.

That Cen Peng's battle strategy had won Diwu Lun's approval owed no small part to Ren Guang's efforts, and this war was intimately tied to his own fortunes.

When he heard that Feng Yan had found a Liu Penzi and was subtly reporting to Diwu Lun about the fall of several Nanyang counties, with the blade pointed at Cen Peng, Ren Guang grew deeply anxious. But when Yin Shi came to him full of worry, hoping Ren Guang could step in and salvage the situation, Ren Guang remained unmoved, continuing to work his abacus and calculate the quantities for the second batch of supplies and fodder for the southern campaign.

"Without a summons from His Majesty, how dare I set aside my duties and rashly request an audience?"

He toiled away like this all afternoon, and only as dusk fell did Diwu Lun summon Ren Guang into the traveling palace.

As soon as he entered the hall, Diwu Lun pointed at a bamboo basket before him, filled with paper and wooden slips, and said, "Boqing, do you know what this is?"

Ren Guang stammered that he did not. Diwu Lun merely smiled. "All memorials impeaching the General Who Guards the South!"

Feng Yan was not the only one trying to drag Cen Peng down; the scholar-official cliques from the Five Tombs and the Sanhe region were at it too. Diwu Lun had preserved the Censorate, and with the Emperor's backing, this group fought with ferocious intensity — nearly no one escaped their accusations. When Ma Yuan had been inadvertently surrounded by the Red Eyebrow Army at Heji, he had faced no small barrage of criticism afterward. In terms of rank and closeness to the Emperor, how could Cen Peng compare to Ma Yuan? Naturally, he could not escape censure either. Feng Yan had learned to be clever, only making veiled insinuations, but the younger censors were cursing Cen Peng by name.

Ren Guang did not immediately speak up for Cen Peng. He merely answered obsequiously, "When I first learned of his strategy, I did say that this campaign indeed courted some danger."

"You did say so," Diwu Lun replied. "The situation in Jing-Xiang has always been complex and volatile. Cen Peng could only adapt as circumstances allowed. Looking at it now, many things have unfolded as predicted in our temple calculations. The Chu Li King, Qin Feng, is a fence-sitter who cannot be trusted. The Han army has seen that Xiangyang is the key and is determined to take it. Even the Chengjia regime has torn up the peace treaty and raided our rear."

Cen Peng had explicitly stated in a memorial that the Jing-Xiang region was far too complex, that this campaign was bound to be difficult, but that it had to be fought — and that it could also achieve a certain strategic objective: tying down Han army forces.

"Now the Han army has reinforced its front lines. Half of their realm's soldiers are in Jing-Xiang. This will inevitably leave Xuzhou and Huaibei hollow!"

And the eastern offensive Diwu Lun had long been planning could now commence.

The deadlock was not a problem. As long as the main Han forces could be pinned down in Jing-Xiang for two more months, Qingzhou and even Huaibei would change hands. Diwu Lun could afford to fight two simultaneous wars, but Liu Xiu, with his shallow foundations, could not. He was bound to lose one while attending to the other.

The biggest problem with this campaign was that the cost had exceeded Cen Peng's initial estimates. Three enemy bands were now causing havoc in Nanyang. Several counties in the western Danyang region had fallen, severing contact with Guanzhong — Wu Pass was under alert three times a day. To the south, counties like Caiyang, Chongling, and Huyang were being raided by the Han general Ma Wu's forces. Two County Magistrates, three Assistant Magistrates, and several County Commandants had already been killed.

On the surface, Cen Peng's offensive had allowed the enemy to penetrate deep into the rear, and this had stirred public sentiment. Diwu Lun had even been forced to personally travel south to take command — all to shore up Cen Peng's position.

When a task reaches the point where the master himself must step in, it can almost be called a failure. Ren Guang instantly felt immense pressure. His gaze fixed on that basket of impeachment memorials, among which there were surely some denouncing him as well. He could only bow low and kowtow. "When the sovereign is troubled, his ministers are shamed. I too offered counsel for the Jing-Xiang campaign. Whatever the outcome, I should share responsibility with the frontline generals!"

Diwu Lun, however, had not summoned him to shift blame. He simply waved his hand. "Grand Minister of Agriculture, rise quickly. This campaign also had my approval."

"Besides, with Nanyang suffering bandit chaos, who is more distressed than you locals?"

Ren Guang hurriedly wiped the tears — or perhaps sweat — from the corners of his eyes. "Indeed. Seeing my Nanyang compatriots suffer only deepens my unease."

Diwu Lun countered, "There is no need for panic. In war there is advantage, and in war there is peril. In fighting, how can there be a principle that only the enemy dies while we remain unscathed? The southern situation is complex; this was anticipated long ago. I am not afraid of getting burned here or bruised there. Though the situation is unfavorable, my heart is not disordered. Your hands, especially those of General Cen and the frontline officers and men, must not tremble either!"

"In ancient times, the Qin Chancellor Gan Mao attacked Yiyang in Han. After five months he had not taken it. In Xianyang, men like Chulizi slandered Gan Mao, hoping to make King Wu of Qin withdraw the troops. Yet Gan Mao replied with only four words: 'Xirang stands there still!'"

"King Wu of Qin then recalled the pact the two had made, and therefore raised a great host and sent Gan Mao to strike. Sixty thousand heads were taken, and Yiyang was finally captured."

"Cen Peng's southern campaign has only been underway for a few months. How could I prove inferior to King Wu of Qin?"

And so, Diwu Lun made his decision regarding that basket of impeachment memorials. "The great battle is not yet over; the front lines are still locked in deadly struggle. I must not chill the soldiers' hearts. All impeachment memorials targeting General Cen shall be held and not issued!"

Now Ren Guang knew that their greatest crisis had, for the moment, passed. But he also understood Diwu Lun's bottom line: five months! This campaign had been fought since late in the first month. Before the first half of the year ended, Cen Peng had to take Xiangyang. Otherwise, the future the "Nanyang faction" had gambled on would be utterly lost, and those impeachment memorials held in reserve would all become sharp arrows to purge them.

Ren Guang immediately declared his stance. "His Majesty is sagely and wise. With the Sage Son of Heaven in command, the soldiers and people are at ease, and we your ministers are no longer flustered. Though Cen Peng carelessly allowed a few enemy bands inside, as long as this battle can be won and Jing-Xiang taken, even if Nanyang is smashed to pieces, it will be worth it!"

"A grave error!"

Diwu Lun rebuked him. "Nanyang may be Liu Xiu's hometown, but it now belongs to Wei territory, and its common people are also my 'parents who clothe and feed me.' We cannot allow the enemy to run rampant. Though the heavy troops at Wancheng, Xinye, and other places cannot be rashly moved, I have already ordered Wan Xiu and Jing Dan in Guanzhong to dispatch troops to strike the enemy in the Danyang counties. I have also ordered General of the Sweeping Wilds, Zheng Tong, to send troops from Runan to intercept the Han general Ma Wu."

"There should be no major trouble on the left and right flanks. As for the reinforcements and supplies sent to the front line, you shall personally escort them!"

This was the mission Diwu Lun gave Ren Guang. "I hear that Liu Xiu is fond of sending brocade pouches with handwritten edicts to direct his frontline generals in battle. I am not like that. Whether to assault a city, contest a piece of land, or strike an army — all is judged and decided by the generals on the scene. What I can do is serve as the mountain at the generals' backs, sending a steady stream of support so that the officers and men can fight with full strength!"

"When you reach the front, tell Cen Peng not to fret about the rear. Unleash his hands and fight!"

"Liu Xiu cannot afford to lose, but I can!"

Ren Guang's journey south still followed the water route. To support the Jing-Xiang campaign, Cen Peng had, during last year's Nanyang winter lull, dredged the various tributaries of the Han River, especially the Yu River channel running directly from Wancheng to Fancheng. Though the winter and spring dry season made it hard for large boats to travel, now was the time of summer floods. As long as the weather was good, boats could travel south without obstruction.

On this route, there were no imagined enemy attacks. Cen Peng had indeed done a fine job protecting the rear — though, of course, this was achieved by abandoning many counties in eastern and western Nanyang in order to concentrate forces to guard the supply line.

As long as this lifeline was not severed, Cen Peng could still fight at his own pace.

When Ren Guang arrived with ten thousand reinforcements and thirty thousand shi of grain, he found that Deng County had already been taken — after all, Deng Feng had pulled away the main force, leaving only the old, weak, and sick. Fancheng was still firmly in Wei army hands. He heard that earlier in the month, Feng Yi had launched a surprise raid on Fancheng and nearly succeeded, but was still repelled by the Wei troops.

But there was also bad news: Xiangyang had still not fallen!

As Ren Guang approached by boat, he saw from afar that Xiangyang City lay north of Xian Mountain. The mountain was like a colossal fortress wall, sealing off Xiangyang's southern side. To its east and north, the city walls doubled as dikes to prevent flooding — these were called the Great Dike. There was some open ground to the east, but it was mostly mudflats and reed beds. The summer floods of the Han River had turned the dry land into marsh, making it nearly impossible for a large army to gain a foothold.

The only viable approach for an assault was the Xiangyang city wall itself, but this area was pinched by Atou Mountain, the terrain so narrow that large formations could not deploy.

Thus, a mere small county town like Xiangyang, bolstered by the natural defenses of mountains and rivers, had taken on the aspect of a mighty pass. It was no wonder Cen Peng had gnawed at it for a month without success.

After disembarking, Ren Guang met Cen Peng at the main camp. General Cen had personally overseen the siege and had nearly been peeled raw by the sun, so much so that at first glance in a crowd, even an old friend like Ren Guang barely recognized him.

Cen Peng usually appeared confident and assured before his subordinates, but in truth he bore immense pressure. Hearing that Diwu Lun had held all the slanderous letters and forbidden anyone from attacking Cen Peng again during the campaign, he was deeply grateful. Facing north, he cupped his hands and bowed. "Fortunate am I to have a Sage Son of Heaven so wise, who trusts me so, and allows Cen Peng such reckless freedom."

"And yet," Ren Guang was full of praise for Diwu Lun, "had His Majesty not used his own body as a shield to block the endless slander, you and I would already be riddled with poisoned arrows — not dying at the enemy's hands, but defeated by impeachment."

Yet when he heard Ren Guang relay Diwu Lun's exact words — "I can afford to lose" — Cen Peng abruptly rose to his feet, feeling he had let Diwu Lun down.

"Cen Peng is incompetent. I could not let His Majesty sit with folded robes in Luoyang and enjoy victory. Instead, he had to rush south to take command, to maintain stability in Nanyang for my sake, and even speak such words. If this campaign truly cannot be won, Cen Peng will have no face to kowtow before the palace gates again!"

Indeed, Ren Guang felt the same. Once Diwu Lun spoke those words, Cen Peng, with his character of repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring, would demand of himself only victory, never defeat.

"I know," Ren Guang said, speaking as an old friend and offering Cen Peng a few intimate words, "no one wants to win more than you, Junran."

The main enemy the Wei army faced was the Han army. Though the Emperor had changed, the same brush wrote the character for "Han." In Liu Xiu's forces, the Chongling and Greenwood colors remained strong.

And the indelible shame of Cen Peng's life was that he had once surrendered to the Greenwood men. In this southern campaign, he had tirelessly sought a single victory.

In Ren Guang's heart, this was likewise the battle on which the "Nanyang faction" would stake its standing. If they lost or gave up halfway, not only would the state's affairs be harmed, but Ren Guang and Cen Peng would be seated at the very end of the table for the rest of their lives, never able to lift their heads before the scholars of the Five Tombs again.

"Soon."

Cen Peng pointed at Xiangyang's western wall for Ren Guang to see. "Tunneling and other methods have all failed. Flooding the eastern Great Dike also could not breach it. But relying on trebuchets bombarding day and night, a corner of the western wall has been broken. Inside the city, many who wish to surrender have shot letters out at night. Three days at the least, five at the most — Xiangyang will surely fall!"

This promise undoubtedly lifted Ren Guang's spirits immensely. Taking Xiangyang — that was Diwu Lun's bottom line.

"The one variable in this campaign is…"

Cen Peng had barely finished speaking when a scout arrived from outside to report.

After unfolding the military dispatch sent back from the front, Cen Peng's brow first furrowed — then immediately relaxed as he burst out laughing, casually handing the slip to Ren Guang.

"The variable has arrived. The Han army besieged Yicheng to no avail, saw that Xiangyang could not hold out much longer, and finally, after leaving troops to keep an eye on Zhang Yu and his lot, has swung north to force a decisive battle with us beneath the city walls!"

Ren Guang was shocked. Conservative by nature, he had been inclined to think that taking Xiangyang in this campaign, and at most pushing south as far as Yicheng, would be enough. As for annihilating the Han army, that would be no easy task here along the complex terrain of the Jiang-Han shores.

"They've come at last."

Yet Cen Peng was already fully in his element. "I haven't fought this campaign particularly well. Letting those three brigands harass our rear threw Nanyang into chaos — the cost was greater than expected."

"But the prey lured in is also more than I imagined."

His hands were indeed trembling — not from fear, but from excitement.

"Not only Feng Yi, but Deng Yu thrown in as a bonus."