Chapter 612: Every Move Backfires on Him

After the Han army crossed south of the Huai River, Liu Xiu established his main camp at Xuyi — the former capital of King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin — which faced the Huai-Si confluence across the water, giving him a clear view of the opposite shore.

Liu Xiu had hoped that Diwu Lun, drunk on victory, would rashly force a crossing of the Huai to annihilate the Han in one stroke; if so, despite his inferior numbers, Liu Xiu could rely on the Huai's natural barrier and fight Diwu Lun to the death, hoping to replicate the miracle of Kunyang.

But Diwu Lun chose the approach Liu Xiu found hardest to bear: a massive army advancing slowly and steadily, seizing control of every county along the Huai, recalling refugees who had fled, stationing troops to farm the land, unwilling to miss the spring rains as precious as oil.

With that, Liu Xiu's plan to lure the enemy across the Huai also ended in failure. Just as the Han sovereign and his ministers were at their wits' end, Huan Rong, the Governor of Jiujiang, delivered Diwu Lun's state letter, along with two proposals — a truce and a prisoner exchange — to the traveling court at Xuyi, instantly provoking a torrent of abuse against that brat Diwu from the Han ministers.

The most furious among them was General of the Accumulated Crossbows, Fu Jun. He rose abruptly and declared, "Diwu Lun is utterly shameless! He seized the vast lands north of the Huai, slaughtered countless soldiers and civilians, and took the lives of the Prince of Chu, Lai Xi, and the Prince of Julu, Liu Zhi. Now he sends back their corpses and a few prisoners and expects a truce with Han? This is no state letter — it is an insult to Your Majesty, an insult to every civil and military officer of Great Han!"

Fu Jun could not contain himself and petitioned Liu Xiu: "When the sovereign is humiliated, his ministers die! Your Majesty, grant me thirty thousand troops, and I swear I will rampage across Huaibei, retake Pengcheng, and capture Diwu Lun alive!"

The men in the traveling court were seething with no less fury than Fu Jun; for a moment, everyone clamored for war. Yet Liu Xiu sat with eyes closed and said nothing, only casting a glance toward the back of the hall, where someone naturally stood up and doused them with a bucket of cold water.

"Your Majesty, Fu Jun deserves to be executed!"

Everyone stared in astonishment. Turning, they saw it was Zhai Zun, standing at the very back.

Zhai Zun, courtesy name Disun, was a man of Yingchuan who had joined Liu Xiu as a county clerk. Liu Xiu set aside concerns about his appearance and made him a probationary subordinate officer. He had followed Liu Xiu to the southeast and was among the original followers of the dragon, but Zhai Zun's strength was not military strategy. Liu Xiu liked to use him to enforce military law; even when sons of the Chongling clan broke the law, Zhai Zun would execute them with a cold face and no mercy. Liu Xiu thus appointed him General Who Punishes Treachery, charged with overseeing the three armies, and after formally proclaiming himself emperor, promoted him to Commandant of Justice.

This Commandant of Justice Zhai showed Fu Jun not a shred of face, and even tore open Liu Xiu's scars to his face: "Diwu Lun has over a hundred thousand troops north of the Huai. Last winter, Your Majesty personally led tens of thousands of soldiers to contend with him and still could not defeat the rebels. How then can Fu Jun rampage through Northern Xu Province with a mere thirty thousand? This is outright deceit before the throne! The great battle has just ended, and by Your Majesty's wise policy, soldiers and civilians temporarily withdrew south of the Huai — abandoning land to preserve the people. The wounds have not yet healed, and the spring planting has just begun. If we follow Fu Jun's advice, take up arms again, and rashly march north, I fear the entire southeast will be shaken!"

Zhai Zun had been a strong advocate of retreating to defend south of the Huai before the battle. Fu Jun, hearing this, flew into a rage and denounced him for cowardice, but Liu Xiu stopped the two of them.

"The Commandant of Justice speaks reason. Diwu Lun's move is a state letter in name, but a provocation in fact. Throughout the text, he refers only to 'Xiu, Prince of Wu,' deliberately showing contempt. If we grow angry and mobilize the army, we will have fallen right into his trap."

Liu Xiu understood better than anyone that the war could no longer be fought. The half-year-long Xu-Huai campaign had exhausted even Diwu Lun, who held the populous north; how much more so his own small southeastern court? The financial resources of Jiangdong and Huainan were nearly drained and could only recover after the autumn harvest. In the meantime, they had enough to defend but not to attack. With Diwu Lun refusing to rashly advance, Liu Xiu could do nothing but lick his wounds south of the Huai.

That being the case, how to respond to this state letter became the focus of discussion in the traveling court that day.

"In my view, a truce is unacceptable, but a prisoner exchange is feasible."

The speaker was Hou Ba, the Grand Minister of Works, one of the Three Excellencies. He had originally been the Xin Dynasty's Governor of Linhuai and, as the first local power to receive Liu Xiu, had earned Liu Xiu's deep gratitude and trust. Now that Liu Xiu's Grand Marshal Lai Junshu had died in battle and Grand Chancellor Deng Yu had been dismissed, Hou Ba had effectively become the head of all civil and military officials.

Hou Ba was a clever man. He knew that between Liu Xiu and Diwu Lun, "Han and the rebel cannot coexist," and a peace negotiation or truce was absolutely impossible. Diwu Lun held the advantage and could send envoys at will, but for Liu Xiu, on the weaker side, any sign of softening would inevitably cause the small Han court he had painstakingly built to collapse — those who still followed Liu Xiu to this day all hoped to restore the House of Han with him and return to the old capital. If the civil and military officers still wished to fight to the death, how could His Majesty surrender first?

In Hou Ba's thinking, the war could certainly continue without a truce; after all, even if a pact were made, it would be nothing more than another Covenant of the Hong Canal — neither side trusting the other, ready to tear it up at any moment.

But a prisoner exchange under a state of war was worth considering. If Diwu Lun truly intended to send back the four thousand Huainan and Jiangdong captives, and their side only had to hand over Geng Yan and a thousand-odd Yuyang soldiers, the deal was unquestionably worthwhile. Four thousand people, for the south, was no small population.

"No. Not only must we not speak of a truce — the prisoner exchange must also be rejected!"

Deng Yu, already stripped of his post as Grand Chancellor and now relegated to a mere Grand Master, voiced his own concerns to Liu Xiu after hearing everyone's opinions.

"I have heard that last month, a severe cold plague broke out north of the Huai, killing thousands. The Wei army's halt in fighting is largely due to the rampant epidemic. The Han army captives, suffering from hunger and cold, have contracted the disease in who knows how many numbers."

"Diwu Lun has always been ruthless and venomous. His sudden willingness to exchange prisoners — could it be that he intends to send the sick soldiers back, so that a great plague spreads through Huainan and Jiangdong, hoping to win without fighting?"

Because it was inconvenient for Liu Xiu and the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers of the court to meet Huan Tan directly, all communication had to be handled by Huan Rong, the Governor of Jiujiang. When Huan Rong learned from Deng Yu of Diwu Lun's "true intent" and went angrily to confront his clan uncle Huan Tan, Huan Tan only felt like laughing.

"Using plague as a weapon?"

Huan Tan said disdainfully, "This is measuring a gentleman's heart with a petty man's belly — nothing but projection born of suspicion!"

That said, when he first heard that Diwu Lun wanted a prisoner exchange, Huan Tan had indeed entertained that very suspicion. But once Diwu Lun revealed his intent, Huan Tan understood that His Majesty the Wei Emperor was, this time, truly playing on the fifth level...

"The Han prisoners of war are mostly in Pengcheng and have not contracted the cold plague. Over these past ten days or so, they have been well fed and watered. Those of Huaibei origin have even been issued grain for their journey home. For those of Huainan origin, considering they cannot endure the bitter cold, old winter coats from the army were distributed — one coat shared among several men for warmth."

Looking across the realm, the treatment of these captives absolutely exceeded the norm.

"Agreeing to the prisoner exchange now is indeed meant to spread a plague."

"But not a plague of the body — not the cold sickness."

Huan Tan remembered that before he set out south, Diwu Lun had pointed to his own temple and said, "It is a disease of the mind!"

The true purpose of this prisoner exchange was to undermine the will of Liu Xiu's camp. When the four thousand Han soldiers, well fed and treated during their captivity, returned to Huainan and Jiangdong, they would inevitably tell their fellow villagers and neighbors of their experiences. The demonized image of the Wei dynasty — a result of the You-Ji Corps' poor military discipline — would thus be somewhat reversed. The next time war came, the soldiers of Huainan and Jiangdong would not fight to the death but would harbor hopes of leniency.

Furthermore, among these four thousand, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already turned quite a few. Once they returned home, they would be like fish released into the sea, becoming spies and agents planted deep within the enemy's ranks, making the future campaign to destroy Wu twice as effective with half the effort.

Though he very much hoped Liu Xiu would agree to the prisoner exchange, Diwu Lun had not given Huan Tan an absolute order. The truce and prisoner exchange were part of an interlocking scheme. The moment Diwu Lun made his move, he had dug many deep pits for Liu Xiu; whichever way Liu Xiu chose to step, he would fall into one.

And so Huan Tan said no more. He rose, flicked his sleeves, and declared, "My sovereign is benevolent and virtuous, which is why he overrode all objections to send a state letter and dispatch me here. Since the Prince of Wu is unwilling to take back the remains of Lai Junshu and Liu Zhi, and unwilling to let four thousand sons of Jiangdong return home, Huan Tan need not linger. Today I shall set sail and return north!"

Just as when he had arrived, Huan Tan's boat slowly departed Dangtu and headed toward Huaibei. His clan nephew Huan Rong did not come to see him off.

But just as the sail was about to vanish from sight, Huan Rong's figure appeared at the dock. He bowed deeply to his clan uncle in farewell, and only after a long while did he raise his head again. Huan Rong's face was already streaked with tears.

"The teachings and support my clan uncle once gave me, Huan Rong will never dare forget. Yet loyalty to one's sovereign outweighs the fraternal duty of the clan and the bond of teacher and elder. Since each of us serves his own master, the Two Dragons of the Huan clan can only be separated by the Huai River!"

"After this parting, I fear there will be no day we meet again." Huan Rong was a stubborn man. Even if Great Han stood at a disadvantage, even if in the future they truly could not defeat Diwu Lun, he would follow the example of Liu Zhi and the others and die a martyr for Han!

Back at the traveling court in Xuyi, learning that Huan Tan had departed, Liu Xiu felt a pang of loss. Only when alone with Deng Yu did he sigh, "Huan Tan's visit means that after attacking with arms, Diwu Lun now seeks to attack with stratagems."

Liu Xiu had, of course, seen through Diwu Lun's petty trick. These were no four thousand captives — they were clearly four thousand daggers meant to stir chaos in the hearts of the southern people!

Deng Yu nodded. "Fortunately, we saw through it early and drove Huan Tan away."

"Not so." This was the most helpless part for Liu Xiu. He said, "Though we guarded against it a thousand ways, we still fell for Diwu Lun's scheme."

Afterward, Liu Xiu thought it over carefully and realized that even by refusing, he had still stepped into Diwu Lun's trap.

Liu Xiu smiled bitterly. "Knowing Diwu Lun's methods, he will certainly have made a great show of Huan Tan's mission to Han. The people north of the Huai, ravaged by war, long for a cessation of arms; the four thousand captured soldiers from Huainan and Jiangdong also harbor hopes of returning home."

"Now, when those people learn that I have refused a truce and a prisoner exchange, they will be greatly disappointed. With Diwu Lun further guiding them, they may even grow to hate me and Great Han. In the next battle, the people north of the Huai and the southeastern captives may well turn their spears against us."

Deng Yu was a clever man and understood at once, breaking out in a cold sweat.

By the same logic, Geng Yan and the Yuyang shock cavalry, detained by Liu Xiu in Jiangdong, upon hearing that Diwu Lun had proactively offered a prisoner exchange, would surely feel guilt. Learning that Liu Xiu refused to release them, with resentment in their hearts, how could they possibly give their all to aid Han?

Traps lay in front, behind, left, and right; whichever way he turned, he would end up covered in filth. He could only choose the lesser of two evils.

"In this way, Diwu Lun gains a reputation for benevolence and virtue, while I, on the contrary, am cast into unrighteousness."

Liu Xiu could only sigh. "Only today do I truly understand that Diwu Boyu's endless stratagems are no empty rumor. This man never shoots an arrow without a purpose, and every arrow he looses is a poisoned one! No wonder my elder brother, a hero all his life, met his end at the Wei River."

Now that things had come to this, how could they remedy the situation? Deng Yu proposed, "In that case, should we relocate the families of those four thousand captives into Minzhong, to cut off any chance of unrest?"

"No. How can I, the emperor, forfeit the trust and righteousness of the realm over a minor threat?"

Liu Xiu gritted his teeth and said, "Have it proclaimed that Diwu Lun, under the pretext of a prisoner exchange, secretly hid weapons and armor and intended to cross the Huai River. Thus, the failure of the exchange is entirely the fault of the Wei people!"

"Also, send a secret edict ordering local authorities not to make trouble for those four thousand households. Any orphans with no one to care for them are to be taken into the Feathered Forest Guard. I shall regard them as my own children!"

This would outwardly demonstrate the emperor's utter sincerity, while those orphans would effectively serve as hostages — enough to ensure that the four thousand Huainan captives could not wholeheartedly pledge themselves to Diwu Lun.

Deng Yu frankly said this was a brilliant stratagem, but Liu Xiu was not at all pleased — he even felt rather distressed.

"A desperate makeshift, nothing more. Diwu Lun uses deceit; I use sincerity. Only by opposing him at every turn can the Han cause succeed. Yet now, forced by Diwu Lun's venomous scheme, I have no choice but to resort to cunning myself. My heart is deeply troubled."

Deng Yu hastened to console him: "Warfare is the way of deception, Your Majesty. You need not reproach yourself."

Liu Xiu did not see it that way: "I should have followed the ancestral system, blending the way of the Hegemon and the way of the King to win the realm. Instead, I now imitate Diwu Lun and wallow in the same mire."

Facing this intractable opponent, for the first time since raising his army, the ever-confident Liu Xiu felt an immense sense of helplessness. He pointed northward, as if he could see the formidable foe who, having just seized Xu, now cast his gaze upon Yang.

"Zhonghua, if we speak solely of manipulating dark schemes, even all of us combined — how could we possibly be Diwu Lun's match?"