Chapter 586: Hold Firm, and There Will Be a Way

In the autumn of the third year of Wude (AD 27), in the ninth month, when the leaves in Qing Province were turning yellow, Geng Yan's great army for the conquest of Qi reached Beihai Commandery. Although Wei casualties in the Battle of Linzi had not been heavy, the cavalry's warhorses were utterly spent; only by feeding on the autumn grain had they begun to put some fat back on.

During this month and a half of rest and reorganization, the Imperial Household Grandee Fu Long had already made a round trip between Suiyang and Qing Province, bringing young Geng a decree of encouragement from Diwu Lun.

"Long ago, Han Xin broke through Lixia to lay the foundation of the Han; now General Geng has attacked Zhu'e to reclaim the ancestral lands of the Wu clan. Both were the western borders of Qi — the beginnings are comparable."

"Yet Han Xin struck at men who had already surrendered, while you, General, alone uprooted a formidable foe. The Battle of Linzi can stand alongside the Battle of the Wei River."

"In barely three months since the army marched, you, General, have pacified Jinan, Qiansheng, Linzi, Zichuan, Beihai, Gaomi, Donglai, and Jiaodong — smashing eight kingdoms and commanderies, capturing several dozen cities, never once suffering a setback. Your achievements are the greatest. Still, you must press on with your remaining valor to pursue Zhang Bu and seize all seventy-two cities of the Three Qi, and then your merit shall surely surpass that of Han Xin!"

While affirming the achievements of Geng Yan and his officers and men, it also hinted that he should swiftly finish off the remaining enemy and completely pacify the land of Qi.

After receiving the decree and rising, Geng Yan asked Fu Long about another matter: "Grandee Fu, I hear that Cen Peng has been victorious in Jing-Xiang and has been appointed Grand General Who Guards the South?"

"That is correct."

Curious, Geng Yan asked, "How many divisions of the Han army did he annihilate?"

"Several thousand taken prisoner, and it is said that 'twenty thousand men' drowned in the Han River."

At this, Geng Yan could not help but curl his lip. They were all old campaigners — who didn't know the tricks of reporting merit? That utterly unverifiable "drowned" was a very artful touch. Cen Peng looked like an honest man, but he too had learned bad habits in the great dye-vat of the Wei army.

Geng Yan, of course, knew perfectly well how many benefits could be gained from inflating battle reports, and how many eyes below were hoping for it — but he utterly scorned to water down his own!

Because General Geng's achievements, without any need for exaggeration, were already exceedingly spectacular. Over ten thousand killed or wounded, fifty thousand captured! These staggering numbers showed that the scale of his campaign completely dwarfed the "skirmish" in Jing-Xiang.

Geng Yan, seemingly stubbornly determined, asked Fu Long again: "General Cen campaigned for nearly half a year — exactly how many cities did he seize for Great Wei?"

Fu Long told the truth: "Xiangyang, Yicheng, and the others combined amount to about half of Nan Commandery."

But Cen Peng had also lost Sui County because of it, and it was unclear whether the rebels Jia Fu and Deng Feng in the Danyang region had been subdued. So to Geng Yan's ears, Cen Peng's merit was heavily inflated! And on top of that, he had still managed to snag the title of "Grand General" — though an empty title, it still left Geng Yan feeling thoroughly displeased.

If one counted honestly, his own kills, captures, and conquered kingdoms and commanderies were ten times those of Cen Peng!

Fu Long had also perceived Geng Yan's mood. He was like Diwu Lun's hand extended into Qing Province — there to tug the reins when Geng Yan threatened to run out of control, though he might not always be able to stop this young thousand-li colt; and when Geng Yan's hackles were up, he was there to smooth them for Diwu Lun and soothe the hot-blooded young man.

Fu Long therefore laughed heartily and said, "The one who knows General Geng best is still His Majesty. His Majesty said: if Bozhao hears of Cen Peng's enfeoffment, he will certainly be resentful. Tell him not to be impatient. If he can destroy Zhang Bu and completely pacify the land of Qi, then Bozhao too shall merit appointment as Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry."

He leaned close to Geng Yan's ear and added, "His rank in the army will still be above Cen Peng's, second only to State Commandant Ma."

You see — besides restraint and comfort, one must also appropriately let the horse catch a whiff of the grain in one's hand, to give it the drive to keep moving forward.

General of the Agile Cavalry, General Who Guards the South, General of Chariots and Cavalry — the three great army corps commanders were like a three-horse chariot, long since formed. Diwu Lun now deeply grasped the art of balance, never letting any one man race ahead alone. Ma Yuan's merit in the great He-Ji campaign had been the most outstanding, and he had become "Grand General of the Agile Cavalry," so Diwu Lun had transferred him to Liang Province to cool his heels, secretly pressing him down a notch and letting the two behind catch up.

After Fu Long relayed the Emperor's oral instructions, Geng Yan was somewhat mollified. Only when the Imperial Household Grandee had gone to take his meal did Geng Yan sit down and, over some beef — don't ask where it came from — and the wine always kept ready in the main army tent, carefully savor Diwu Lun's decree. Young Geng was actually quite pleased by the praise in it, and an unconscious smile crept onto his lips.

Just then, Geng Yan's second younger brother, Geng Shu, sidled up to his elder brother and said in a low voice, "His Majesty's decree repeatedly compares you, Elder Brother, to Han Xin — could there be a deeper meaning?"

Geng Shu had reason to say this. Han Xin had performed quite well when destroying Wei, attacking Zhao, and taking Yan, obeying almost every command of Liu Bang. But after conquering Qi, he gradually grew arrogant, his mindset shifted, and he conceived the idea of staying on as king of the rich and fertile Qi — which led to that famous scene: "A great man settles the feudal lords; if he is to be a king, let him be a true king — what is this 'acting king'?"

Afterwards, although Han Xin continued to serve Liu Bang between Chu and Han, when Liu Bang tore up the Covenant of Honggou and treacherously pursued Xiang Yu, Han Xin, together with Peng Yue, actually chose to stand by and watch, causing Liu Bang to suffer yet another defeat. The King of Qi title had been granted, but the formal fief boundaries had not yet been drawn. Only when Liu Bang agreed to give Han Xin all the land from Chen eastward to the sea — wherever the Qi tongue was spoken — did he lead his troops to Gaixia and join the final decisive battle.

Among the Geng brothers of Maoling, Geng Shu was the most calculating, and the most sensitive to court factional struggles and tensions between ruler and subject. Geng Shu worried that Diwu Lun's decree was hinting to Geng Yan: "Your achievements still fall short of Han Xin's. Do not emulate the Marquis of Huaiyin — come swiftly to Pengcheng to aid in the war!"

Geng Yan, however, merely raised his head, looked at his younger brother, and said coldly, "What, do you wish to be a Kuai Che?"

"I dare not, your younger brother dares not."

These words so frightened Geng Shu that he prostrated himself and knocked his head on the ground. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he would never dare urge his elder brother to strike out on his own!

Compared to the early Han, when Han Xin swept the north and one general grew overwhelmingly dominant, Diwu Lun's camp had several generals of matched strength, each commanding a separate front, and there were even rivals like Wu Han chasing from behind. Moreover, Diwu Lun had rotated defense zones several times, to the point that in the Wei army, "generals hardly knew their soldiers, and soldiers hardly knew their generals" — there was absolutely no possibility of striking out independently or standing by and watching.

Their old father served at court as Grand Mentor, and several of the brothers were either Palace Gentlemen or Colonels. Though the Maoling Geng clan was not linked by marriage to Diwu Lun the way the Julu Geng were, they were already firmly bound to the State of Wei — sharing its glory, with no need to take reckless risks.

"You had best truly not dare."

Not even wanting to hear his brother's explanation, Geng Yan gave him a hard kick in exasperation. "Get out! His Majesty and I trust each other as lord and subject. Don't let me hear any words of sowing discord. If you even dare to think it again, I will surely sacrifice righteousness to destroy my own kin — I'll cut off your head to consecrate the banners!"

Having driven Geng Shu away, Geng Yan then began preparing to continue south and attack Zhang Bu's last strongholds: the two commanderies of Langya and Chengyang!

Geng Yan was prepared to follow the decree's orders. It was Li Zhong, the Inspector of Qing Province, who felt that the eight commanderies of Qi had only just submitted. If Geng Yan took the bulk of the mobile forces to Langya at this moment, was he not afraid of unrest and upheaval in the rear-area commanderies that had "submitted upon receiving a proclamation"?

So Li Zhong obliquely urged Geng Yan: "His Majesty has not fixed a certain month and day by which Zhang Bu must be destroyed. General Geng, why not first close camp in Beihai and rest the troops? Wait until the rear is stable and the remnants of Zhang Bu's forces hiding in the mountains of Donglai and Jiaodong have been wiped out — then it will not be too late to campaign again."

But Geng Yan was quite resolute: "No. I have said that I must strike down and destroy Zhang Bu before winter sets in. Now barely over a month remains — how can we wait around idly any longer?"

Qing Province was only the appetizer; the true feast was laid out in Pengcheng in Xu Province. If he watched it with open eyes and failed to partake, even if Great Wei smoothly united all under heaven, Geng Yan would wring his hands and regret it for the rest of his life!

Neither Geng Shu nor Li Zhong could understand Geng Yan: unlike Han Xin, who dawdled and angered Emperor Gao of Han, planting the seeds of his own destruction, Geng Yan had no real interest in how much fief land he would get after the war, or a few thousand more households, or whether he could carve out a feudal domain and stay in Qi. What he truly "coveted" was the honor of battle merit itself.

And beyond that, a competitive heart unwilling to fall behind his comrades! Only Diwu Lun had accurately gauged his mind — the title of "Grand General Who Guards the South" granted to Cen Peng had stung young Geng.

"The warhorses have eaten their fill of grain, and the soldiers have finished their rest. We should seize the moment while morale is still high and the harsh winter has not yet arrived, and swiftly crush the remaining enemy!"

Geng Yan declared with a force that could shake the ground: "His Majesty's carriage is about to reach Pengcheng. As a subject, I should arrive first, slaughter oxen and strain wine to await the Son of Heaven. How could I instead wish to leave rebel captives as a burden for my sovereign and father?"

…

Strictly speaking, although the two commanderies of Langya and Chengyang also spoke the Qi regional dialect and were part of the "Three Qi," during the Han dynasty the central government had artificially separated them from their Qing Province brethren: Langya was assigned to Xu Province, and Chengyang Commandery was given to Yan Province…

This maneuver was wonderfully similar in spirit to how Emperors Wen and Jing split the unified and powerful Kingdom of Qi into seven in one stroke.

As a result, when Zhang Bu of Langya arrived in Linzi, he became an "outsider." The ancients placed the greatest weight on local ties; without the bond of shared province, the Qing Province gentry's allegiance to him greatly diminished, and the various commanderies surrendered at the mere rumor of his approach.

Langya and Chengyang were still reliable. After his disastrous defeat at Linzi, Zhang Bu fled south all the way. Upon reaching Ju City, the capital of Chengyang, he was met by several of his younger brothers and only then could catch his breath a little.

Ju City was the seat of the ancient State of Ju, located on the border between Qi and Lu. To the west lay the Yimeng Mountains, to the east the coastal hills, and the Yi River ran through it, making the terrain a tangle of mountains and streams, sufficient to hold out on its own.

"In the Warring States period, when Yue Yi attacked Qi, he smashed over seventy of Qi's cities — only Jimo and Ju City held out. The King of Qi relied on Ju City to preserve the altars of state until Tian Dan launched his counterattack."

"During the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Chengyang, here between the mountains and the sea, remained loyal to the Great Han. It did not join the uproar with its kinsmen in Jiaodong and Jiaoxi, and withstood the rebel army's siege without falling."

"When Fan Chong of the Red Eyebrow Army routed the Xin army and swept across the realm, only at his hometown of Ju City was Fan Chong unable to prevail — he was defeated and forced back!"

All of the above were the King of Qi, Zhang Bu's, consolations to himself. Yet his heart remained deeply torn and fearful. Though his body was in Ju County, not a single day could he sleep peacefully. Day and night he gazed south, hoping that Fang Wang, who had gone to seek reinforcements from Liu Xiu, would return soon.

In the middle of the ninth month, Fang Wang truly did return. He had not failed expectations, and brought back Liu Xiu's words for Zhang Bu:

"King of Qi."

"Hold Langya firmly, endure until winter sets in — then the turning point will come!"