Chapter 575: The Knot in the Rope

Just as Cen Peng had predicted, Feng Yi's attack was merely a cover for the retreat. When word came that Deng Yu had been "utterly annihilated" north of the Han River, Feng Yi knew their gamble had ended in failure.

Feng Yi was a cautious commander. Though he had won minor victories, he saw that the Wei forces near Xiangyang were far from few, and a frontal assault would gain no advantage. If he waited for Cen Peng to regain control of his army, the tide would turn against him. His first instinct was to withdraw — pull the troops south and reassess.

On the march, the Grand Tree General reined in his horse and looked back. The long, undulating ridge of Atou Mountain shrank smaller and smaller; the soaring peak of Xian Mountain was now only a tiny point. Feng Yi's main force had left far behind the "jar-mouth" that guarded Xiangyang — which meant they were safe, for now.

Though that safety had been bought at the cost of catastrophic losses among the several thousand men left to hold the rear.

When Feng Yi reached Yicheng, the town was still under the control of the Wei army's Embroidered Uniform Commandant Zhang Yu. Wang Chang and Deng Chen's siege had made no headway, but they had long since learned of Deng Yu's defeat.

Deng Chen sighed and said, "On the third day after the great battle, corpses came drifting down from upstream. At first we thought they were common folk drowned in a flood. When we fished them out, their faces were too bloated to recognize — only by the color of their uniforms did we know they were Han soldiers. It was a pitiful sight."

Wang Chang was seething as well. While Deng Chen was present, he held his tongue, but once he had sent him away on an errand, he said to Feng Yi in a low voice, "The blame for this defeat does not lie with the Grand General Who Conquers the West! His Majesty's handwritten edict laid it out: one general would hold south of Xiangyang to pin down Cen Peng's main force, while another would circle around, cross the river, and strike Fancheng, seizing it in one blow — a flawless plan. The strategy was sound; it was the execution that ruined it. I volunteered to lead the raid on Fan, but Deng Zhonghua, who has never commanded an army on his own, should have stayed at Yiyang guarding the rear."

"Yet Deng Yu, greedy for glory and renown, used his authority as Grand Chancellor to force the issue and snatch the raiding force for himself. I have worried all along. Chancellor Deng may have a reputation for mastering the art of war and excelling in stratagems, but he has fought few actual battles. And sure enough — barely a few days after marching north, his entire army was wiped out. A second Zhao Kuo! I only wonder what has become of General Ma Wu."

Another day passed. The corpses in the Han River ceased, but when Deng Yu came slinking back with a mere twenty-four riders, he brought with him the news that Ma Wu had been captured and had died refusing to submit.

"Zizhang!"

Wang Chang and Ma Wu had been old comrades since their days on Greenwood Mountain, sharing life and death for so many years. That Ma Wu should be the first to fall — the grief struck him so hard he nearly choked. When he caught his breath and saw Deng Yu standing there without a scratch, he cast all decorum aside and let loose directly at him: "Chancellor Deng, as commander of the three armies, where are your ten thousand soldiers now? Zizhang died for the realm — how is it that you alone have returned?"

Deng Yu hung his head, the brash arrogance of his youth gone. He let Wang Chang rail at him for a while, then raised his eyes and said, "Han law holds that he who loses an army commits a grave crime. Yu, a single incompetent general, has brought ruin upon the three armies. When I return, I shall present to His Majesty the seals of Grand Chancellor and Marquis, and in plain white robes submit to punishment!"

"This campaign cannot be laid entirely at Chancellor Deng's feet." It was Feng Yi, who had held his silence until now, who spoke — and in doing so, he gave the cornered Deng Yu a hand. "I am the commander-in-chief of the expedition west. Every decision made, Feng Yi cannot escape responsibility. I also agreed with Chancellor Deng to act in concert as circumstances allowed, but I fought too cautiously and failed to pin Cen Peng down, allowing him to range freely north and south of the Han River."

"If fault is to be assigned, Feng Yi should share the same charge as Chancellor Deng."

This Grand Tree General — when battles were won and credit was being claimed, he would quietly step aside in humility; when battles were lost and others scrambled to shift the blame, he stepped forward to shoulder it himself. This attitude moved Deng Yu deeply and left Wang Chang with nothing more to say. He could only swallow his fury and let the matter drop.

Having averted a major rift among the commanders, Feng Yi now raised the most pressing matter: "We have proven ourselves incapable and have ruined His Majesty's brilliant stratagem. After this battle, Xiangyang will be even harder to hold. Cen Peng's great army may march south at any moment. What is to be done now? Let every man speak his mind."

"We keep fighting, of course!"

Wang Chang still burned with rage over his friend's death in battle. The same helplessness he had felt when Jing Dan had blocked him at Tongyuan, forcing him to watch as Liu Bosheng was trapped and killed by Diwu Lun north of the Wei River — that feeling had returned. It made his judgment rash, but he brought up a reason none could refuse: "His Majesty has expressly demanded Xiangyang!"

Indeed — was the objective of this Jingbei campaign not to seize Xiangyang, or at the very least to keep Diwu Lun from taking it? To achieve that strategic aim, could they not endure any sacrifice?

Deng Yu only shook his head. "General Wang, one must not raise an army in anger. After this crushing defeat, Xiangyang is no longer within our grasp…"

Wang Chang flew into a rage. "Was the fight for Xiangyang not first proposed by Chancellor Deng himself? Why then do you now shrink back at every turn? Have you been so frightened by Cen Peng that your spine has snapped?"

Deng Yu had no real rebuttal. He could only say, "War is like water — water takes a thousand shapes. One must never carve the boat to find the sword."

It was Feng Yi who stopped Wang Chang, who was clearly itching to pick another fight. "I believe Chancellor Deng speaks reason."

"The great army has been in Jingbei for five months. The troops are worn and weary. With this fresh defeat, morale has plummeted, and our supply of provisions and fodder can no longer be sustained."

This campaign had already drained the coffers of several commanderies of the Eastern Han regime. They truly could not hold out any longer.

"If we hesitate and fail to withdraw, once Cen Peng marches south and coordinates with the forces inside Yicheng, we will have no hope of victory in a decisive battle against his fresh, triumphant troops."

Feng Yi could also see that the State of Wei intended to pin the Han army down in Jingxiang and bleed them dry. Dragging this out would bring nothing but further losses for the Eastern Han elsewhere.

Wang Chang was still unwilling to accept it. Deng Chen asked the two commanders, Feng and Deng, "Where should we withdraw to? Ruo County? Or Lankou Settlement?"

Feng Yi and Deng Yu exchanged a glance. This time, their thoughts were the same.

Deng Yu spoke first. "South of Xiangyang, the Jianghan plain is flat and open. There are no more defensible strongpoints."

"We can no longer pit our weakness against the enemy's strength," Feng Yi picked up. "On the Han River, our southeastern fleet fighting against the current gains no advantage either."

"Correct. Only on the great lakes and the Great River can the men of the south truly play to their strengths."

Since Xiangyang could not be taken, many of their plans would have to be scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up. This time, they would have to cut their losses, abandon the pots and pans, and make a great stride backward.

Feng Yi gazed north once more and spoke with regret, but with final resolve:

"Withdraw to Jiangxia Commandery."

"Withdraw to the Cloud Dream Marsh!"

…

The day Feng Yi and Deng Yu began their orderly withdrawal south coincided with the fall of Xiangyang.

The earthen walls built in the time of Emperor Gao of Han had long since been battered to ruin over months of siege. And with the Han army's defeat and retreat, the last shred of resistance in the heart of Qin Feng, the King of Chuli inside Xiangyang, was crushed as well.

A man who had, after all, once been a student at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an, Qin Feng came out with bared flesh, leading a sheep by a rope, and bowed with utmost deference before Cen Peng, who had come to receive the city.

"The guilty subject Qin Feng, blind to Heaven's majesty and the royal army, who stubbornly resisted from his corner — his crimes deserve death ten thousand times over!"

Cen Peng accepted his surrender from horseback and merely laughed with Ren Guang beside him. "So there are still sheep left inside the city. It seems their grain was not exhausted after all — the three armies won't have to march in here on empty stomachs."

In mid-May, the Cheng army from Bashu had finally breached Jiangling. Now, with Qin Feng's surrender, it meant the tiny "Chu" regime was officially extinguished.

Xiangyang was, for now, only a small county seat. Though stout and hard to take, there was little worth seeing inside. After Ren Guang and Cen Peng had taken a turn through it, Ren Guang said to him in a low voice, "Since His Majesty took the title of King, we have campaigned east and west and destroyed several states. Ma Yuan, Jing Dan, Wu Han, and Geng Chun helped destroy Northern Han; Wan Xiu, Wu Han, and young Geng destroyed Western Han; last year, Ma Yuan, Gai Yan, and Geng Chun helped destroy the main force of the Red Eyebrows."

"Only the Southern Expedition Army, since its founding — aside from the Ziwu Valley campaign — has never managed to land a major battle. Now, Junran, you have single-handedly destroyed a state!"

Cen Peng smiled knowingly. "Does the credit for destroying Chu not also belong in part to Lord Ren?"

The two men laughed heartily, both feeling deeply gratified. For Cen Peng, this was the battle that washed away past disgrace. For Ren Guang, it meant that their batch of the Wei regime's "Nanyang faction" had backed the right horse and could now stand firm both at court and in the provinces.

"Of course, it was still His Sacred Majesty coming in person to Nanyang and directing operations with such skill," Ren Guang said tactfully, cupping his hands toward the north. Cen Peng nodded and immediately gave the order:

"Escort Qin Feng to Wancheng at once."

"Report the victory to His Majesty: the Jingxiang campaign has been won in full!"

…

When the victory dispatch reached the temporary imperial residence at Wancheng in Nanyang, the fifth month was drawing to a close. Outside, cicadas droned in waves; the air was stifling. Diwu Lun, dressed in a single layer of thin silk, finished reading Cen Peng's memorial.

"Peng has confronted the Han army for many months and now, at last, has seized the victory in one stroke! When Deng Yu raided Fancheng, your subject crossed the river to strike him. A great rain fell just then; Yu's soldiers were famished and exhausted. We took eight thousand prisoners, and over ten thousand more were routed, drowned, or perished in the Han River. Deng Yu escaped with his life alone. Feng Yi, hearing the news, likewise stole away with the Han army under cover of night, daring no longer to resist the royal forces. They have now withdrawn to the south, the siege of Yicheng is lifted, and all of Jingbei, from Xiangyang to Lankou Settlement, flies the five colors!"

After reading, Diwu Lun set down the scroll and sighed a single line of reflection: "The knot in the rope has been untied!"

As the first war between Han and Wei, Jingxiang had been of great importance. Both sides had poured considerable forces into it, and Diwu Lun had personally come to Nanyang to anchor the effort and provide a backstop for Cen Peng's aggressive tactics. That small patch of ground had been like two thick ropes tied into a dead knot, impossible to loosen for so long.

And now, at last, it had ended in a resounding Wei victory. The strategic objective had been achieved, and the Han army had been dealt a heavy blow in the bargain. How could Diwu Lun not be pleased?

Still — the battle reports sent back by frontline generals could never be taken at face value, numbers and all. Even a trusted confidant like Cen Peng would, consciously or not, add a little water. After all, tens of thousands of eyes in the three armies under his command were all hoping for a larger share of the rewards!

Take that line "over ten thousand drowned in the Han River," for instance — very artfully put!

But so long as the victory was real and the exaggeration not too outrageous, Diwu Lun had no desire to pop this little bubble. Being too strict in auditing the kill count would only wound the soldiers' hearts. In any case, Wei had long since stopped counting heads for merit; it now assessed achievements by strategic and tactical objectives and the number of prisoners taken.

And so Diwu Lun ordered a secretary to take up a brush and draft a reply to Cen Peng. After a few lines of encouragement, he recited a poem on the spot:

"The Jiang and Han flow vast and wide; the warrior strides with martial pride. He brings order to the four quarters, and reports his triumph to the King. The four quarters now at peace, the royal domain at last finds rest. With strife and contention for a time no more, the King's heart is at ease."

This poem comes from the Greater Odes; it is of Western Zhou origin, telling how Duke Mu of Shao, by King Xuan of Zhou's command, subdued the Huai tribes. The whole piece extols his achievements, and it fits the occasion well enough.

Diwu Lun was not only comparing Cen Peng to Duke Mu of Shao — he also intended to add the word "Grand" to the title "General Who Guards the South," raising this mountain within the army a little higher so it could stand alongside Ma and Geng.

He continued reciting: "By the banks of the Jiang and Han, the King charged Shao Hu: 'Open up the four quarters, define and settle our lands and borders. With no distress, with no haste, let the royal domain be the standard. Mark out the borders, set the boundaries, all the way to the southern sea…'"

Yet after reciting it, Diwu Lun regretted it. "Strike the second section. Keep only the first."

Why?

Because Diwu Lun felt he had gilded the lily. The line "all the way to the southern sea" could easily stir the officers' and soldiers' ambition. If they took it to heart and kept pushing south, the supply lines and everything else would be impossible to sustain.

What was more, although Cen Peng had won brilliantly, his style of fighting had let too many enemies pour in, rampaging unchecked across Nanyang and leaving a heap of messes in the rear. It was only because Diwu Lun had come in person to anchor the situation and clean up that Nanyang had not long since fallen into chaos!

But the situation still brooked no optimism. What made Diwu Lun's teeth ache most were the two commanders Jia Fu and Deng Feng, who had now joined forces. Learning that Diwu Lun was at Wancheng with a great mass of troops assembled and knowing they could not easily attack, they had changed course northward, heading for the three counties of Danyang between Wu Pass and Wancheng.

Diwu Lun dispatched ten thousand men from Wancheng, coordinating with ten thousand soldiers moving south from Guanzhong to encircle and destroy them — only to have Jia and Deng defeat them one after another in the hill country nearby.

With that, the two men's prestige soared, and several more counties fell under their control, becoming a stubborn ulcer in the rear.

Now that the great battle was over, Diwu Lun was an exceedingly busy man. He could not stay here forever cleaning up for him; Cen Peng would have to come back and deal with it. The Wei army's great-striding southern advance should be slowed a little. Cen Peng's objective, for now, was best kept at "with strife and contention for a time no more, the King's heart is at ease."

The news Diwu Lun received that day was a mix of good and bad. He had just finished reading Cen Peng's victory dispatch when he learned that yet another county had fallen…

Yet it was not some insignificant, irrelevant place on Nanyang's western fringe, but a key border stronghold!

Yin Shi came in person to beg forgiveness. "Your Majesty, your servant has been incompetent. Just the day before yesterday, Han troops came north from Jiangxia and seized Sui County by surprise!"

"Sui County? Did Cen Peng not leave three thousand men there?"

Diwu Lun was taken aback. Losing Sui County was no small matter. He knew that, because of the shielding mountains, there were only two roads leading south from Nanyang into the Jiang-Han region: one was Xiangyang, and the other was Sui County!

His strenuous fight for Xiangyang did not mean he was willing to give up Sui County. This place bordered Wan and Ye to the north, shielded Han and Mian to the east, and sat between Jing and Huai — it was in truth a vital location. With mountain streams on all four sides and passes and defiles arrayed around, it was easy to defend and hard to attack. For months the Han army had thrown all its strength into seizing Xiangyang; Sui County had remained untroubled. How could it have suddenly fallen?

And this move showed considerable flair. The Han army's failure to take Xiangyang meant the lands north of Jing could no longer be held. As soon as Cen Peng had dealt with matters in the rear, he could thrust all the way to Cloud Dream Marsh and the mouth of the Han River at any moment, sharing the Yangtze's natural barrier with the Han Kingdom and preparing for a future sweep across the southeast.

With Sui County changing hands, however, the Han army's strategic collapse had been somewhat salvaged — at least Jiangxia Commandery could be held for the time being.

Once Diwu Lun learned the name of the Han general who had taken Sui County, he was no longer surprised by this masterstroke.

"It was Liu Xiu himself, leading the troops?"

Yin Shi was drenched in sweat and reported haltingly: "Upon the walls of Sui County, the banners of the false Han Emperor flutter. Unless it was a deliberate ruse, it is indeed Liu Xiu."

He bit down hard on the word "false." Though he felt the Yin clan owed Liu Xiu nothing, now that Liu Xiu had actually appeared in the territory under his jurisdiction, Yin Shi could not help feeling wave after wave of guilty unease.

Diwu Lun, however, had already risen from his seat and was even pacing within the hall, his hand secretly clenching into a fist and then loosening again.

Seven years. After seven years, he and Liu Xiu had once again appeared in Nanyang Commandery at the same time, separated by no more than three or four hundred li!

It seemed like fate. He had only just untied the knot at Jing and Xiang, yet another knot seemed about to be pulled tight — and this time, the two ends of the rope were held by Diwu Lun and Liu Xiu in person!

After a long while, Diwu Lun laughed, feeling a sense of shared understanding. "Xiuer, it is not easy being a ruler. Have you come, too, to patch the holes and clean up after your troublesome commanders?"