Chapter 628: A Stray Dog

As the last leader of the Red Eyebrows, Xu Xuan did not enjoy the good treatment of a surrendered man — instead, he was locked in a cage cart and sent to Puyang in Dong Commandery.

This cage cart was no ordinary one: it was long in front and short behind, the long end touching the ground. An opening in the cage clamped around Xu Xuan's neck, making it impossible for him even to sit down; he could only stand throughout the journey, getting brief relief only when they stopped to rest and eat.

Xu Xuan knew exactly why he was being treated this way.

"That old man Wang Hong still holds a grudge over the Red Eyebrows running amok in his commandery, and then storming Puyang, capturing him and his son and dragging them along with the army!"

Back then, Fan Chong was still in charge of the Red Eyebrows, so they carried on their fine tradition: since Liu-surnamed princes and nobles captured by the Red Eyebrows were made to herd cattle, this Wang Hong and his son, being Wang Mang's Xin dynasty kinsmen, could just herd pigs!

And so old Wang Hong spent several months driving black-headed pigs for the Red Eyebrows, and because the Red Eyebrow fighters hated the Wang Mang regime, they beat and kicked him, making the old man suffer every kind of misery during that time.

Now the wheel of fortune had turned. Xu Xuan had first fallen into the hands of Ju Wuba, who, mindful of the bond they had shared in the Red Eyebrows, still treated him with dignity. Later he was handed over to Wang Hong, Inspector of Yan Province. Even if Inspector Wang was broad-minded, his subordinates who knew the whole story would find every way to vent their master's anger!

After a jolting journey, Xu Xuan was already battered and wretched. When they reached the outskirts of Puyang, his stomach churned — probably the thin gruel he had drunk the day before was unclean — and he cried out that he needed the privy, but no one paid him any heed. In the end, filth ran down his legs and fouled his whole body.

At this point, someone finally could not bear to watch any longer and called a halt to this inhumane abuse.

"Xu Xuan may be a condemned prisoner and a surrendered captive, but if he is worked to death, how can the law officers pass judgment? Can we bear that responsibility?" A deep, resonant voice reprimanded the escorting official.

"The Colonel is absolutely right. These were temporary hirelings, minor clerks and raw recruits who didn't know any better. This humble servant will order it changed at once!"

"This stench is unbearable — do you lot mean to suffocate the Grand Herald? Wash him down at once!"

The carts stopped. The clerks and soldiers scrambled to open the cage collar, and even fetched water, pouring it straight over Xu Xuan.

That bucket of cold water made Xu Xuan feel the midsummer heat swiftly leave his body. He let the cold water drip from his matted, filthy hair, wiped his face with hands that had not known freedom in a long time, and raised his head, wanting to see clearly who had saved him.

His position was somewhat backlit. In a daze, he made out a scholar seated in a comfortable carriage, covering his mouth and nose with a palm-leaf fan — none other than Feng Yan, Grand Herald of the State of Wei.

But Xu Xuan did not recognize him, and Feng Yan never spoke a word from start to finish, his gaze only looking toward the rear of the column.

The one who had spoken up to save Xu Xuan was a Wei army officer mounted on a tall, large horse. Looking more closely, Xu Xuan realized who the man was.

"Yuan Zeng… Cheng Tou Zi Lu?"

It was indeed Cheng Tou Zi Lu, leader of the Great River Red Eyebrows. Their first meeting went all the way back to the Chengchang assembly of the "Three Red Eyebrow Giants" — standing atop the corpses of a hundred thousand Xin troops, the Red Eyebrows had held a council on where to go next. At that time, the leader of the Great River Red Eyebrows was still that extraordinary woman Chi Zhaoping, and Cheng Tou Zi Lu was merely a minor Canal Commander under her. Xu Xuan, as Fan Chong's deputy, had shared a few cups of wine with Cheng Tou Zi Lu over the Xin army's provisions.

It was only after Chi Zhaoping was defeated by Diwu Lun and perished in the Yellow River that Cheng Tou Zi Lu inherited her old forces, roaming between Ji and Qing Provinces. He had joined Liu Ziyu's Northern Han and also accepted titles from the Liang Han — one could say he never turned anyone down. Three years ago, in order to deal with Diwu Lun together, Fan Chong had brought Xu Xuan to the Dong Commandery area to form an alliance with Cheng Tou Zi Lu…

In the end, when the Great River Red Eyebrows thrust into Ji Province and clashed with the Wei army, they were caught by the Yellow River ice flood. Countless men on both sides drowned or froze to death, and Cheng Tou Zi Lu was captured in the process. Diwu Lun did not kill him, but accepted his surrender. Now Yuan Zeng had already become a Colonel, helping Ji and Qing Provinces manage the remnants of the Red Eyebrows and Bronze Horses as well as refugees, leading them to open up farmland, build dikes, and rebuild their homeland.

Seeing an old acquaintance, Xu Xuan felt as though he had found a treasure. Although after the great battle at Heji he had stubbornly refused to surrender to Diwu Lun, having now spent two years in Qufu as an official — enjoying a life of comfort and status he had never once tasted when he was a rebel — not only had his heart softened, his backbone had softened considerably too. After repeatedly thanking Cheng Tou Zi Lu, he hung his head and said humbly:

"Brother Yuan, now you are an honored guest at the table while I am a prisoner in a cage. I too wish to surrender to Great Wei. Why not speak a word before the sovereign, so that your younger brother may be set free?"

Xu Xuan knew that he was deeply hated by Wang Hong and others, and that the Confucian scholars in Qufu, that crowd of sanctimonious hypocrites, regarded their two years of bending the knee to the Red Eyebrows as a disgrace and would stop at nothing to demand that Diwu Lun kill him. His only hope of staying alive lay in an old friend putting in a good word.

But although Cheng Tou Zi Lu could not bear to see Xu Xuan humiliated, he despised his inconsistency and spoke to mock him:

"Xu Xuan, if you truly wished to surrender to Wei, you had the chance three years ago to lead your men to submit when Fan Chong was routed at Heji. You had the chance to offer up territory when you first seized Qufu in Lu Commandery. Even half a year ago, when Qufu was breached, you could have laid down your weapons and surrendered with your hands bound. Why did you drag it out until now, trapped in a village stronghold for a mouthful of food, caged like this?"

Xu Xuan swallowed his pride: "Before, it was your younger brother's foolishness, failing to see the trend of the times. Later, I was deluded by that scoundrel Fang Wang…"

"No need to shift the blame." Cheng Tou Zi Lu gave a cold laugh. "At root, you and I are utterly different. I led the Great River Red Eyebrows rampaging across Hebei because floods had destroyed our homeland and the Xin regime pushed us past the point of survival. Chi Zhaoping told us that Heaven loathed Wang Mang and therefore sent the waters — that if we destroyed the Wang Mang ancestral tombs at Shalu in Yuancheng, the floods would recede on their own, and we could return home."

For that goal, Chi Zhaoping gave her life, and Cheng Tou Zi Lu led the people in striving for many years. When they finally seized a chance to break into Yuancheng and destroy Shalu, the river waters not only did not recede but raged right before their eyes, scattering the Great River Red Eyebrows into chaos.

At that moment, the ones who saved him were, of all people, the Wei soldiers — and Diwu Lun, who had rushed to the battlefield in person.

It was on that very day that Diwu Lun, with stunning boldness, declared war upon the rampaging floodwaters!

"I was skeptical at first — until now." Cheng Tou Zi Lu said with emotion. "His Majesty has already established the Eastern Capital at Di County, and has ordered the Chancellor, the Inspectors of two provinces, and the Superintendent of Waterways to bring the Great River under control. The remnants of the Bronze Horses and Red Eyebrows, along with refugees, are given relief through work — building dikes together, and then farming the land behind the dikes for the court, keeping half the harvest."

Diwu Lun had not only given the brothers and sisters of the Great River Red Eyebrows a path to live — he had pointed Cheng Tou Zi Lu toward a bright road.

"The great flood will not recede on its own. Only with our own hands can we force it to submit!"

To Cheng Tou Zi Lu, his enemy was not any feudal lord — only the raging Yellow River. Whoever was willing to help him tame these vicious waters, that man was his master!

"For this alone, I am willing to be loyal to His Majesty, even unto death without regret. But you…"

Cheng Tou Zi Lu shook his head. "When the giant Fan Chong was around, the Red Eyebrows were still the Red Eyebrows. By the time you took power, you had lost the original purpose. Xu Xuan, I have heard about your ways in Qufu. Fan Chong and I both fought to deliver our brothers and sisters — but you, Xu Xuan, fought only for lordship and high office!"

This speech left Xu Xuan speechless. Even if he wanted to retort, he feared offending Cheng Tou Zi Lu. He was still hoping that after Yuan Zeng finished scolding him, he might put in a good word…

But Xu Xuan would have no such chance. Feng Yan and Cheng Tou Zi Lu were precisely the men Diwu Lun had sent.

"His Majesty has changed his mind. He has already gone north to Yecheng, and has ordered me, the Grand Herald, to dispose of you."

Feng Yan finally spoke, conveying the Emperor's verbal decree: "Xu Xuan's crimes — the sacking of Puyang, the ravaging of Qufu, and others — exceed those of Fan Chong. Fan Chong is now imprisoned in the Chang'an jail. Escort Xu Xuan to the Western Capital and confine him in the same cell as Fan Chong!"

"No!"

Xu Xuan, who had been sitting in the cage, shot to his feet at once. This punishment was worse than death. His hands thrust frantically through the bars: "I would rather die than see Fan Chong again!"

But Feng Yan paid him no heed, his gaze continuing to glance toward the rear as he raised his voice: "As for the other man — His Majesty does not wish to foul his ears and eyes. Escort him to the Western Capital as well, and let the Commandant of Justice and the people judge him!"

The cage cart behind also rolled forward, likewise a standing cage of excruciating discomfort. Inside was a scholar, but upon hearing Feng Yan's words, he merely giggled foolishly and spoke in a frail voice:

"Diwu Lun — fishing for fame, deceiving the world — and a trial? Like Wang Mang? If Fang Wang must die, then let him die. What is there to fear!"

This man was none other than the strategist Fang Wang, who, after Xu Xuan and the Red Eyebrow remnants surrendered, had tried to escape down the mountain in disguise but was captured by Liu Penzi.

"Master Fang — it has truly been a long time."

Feng Yan stepped down from his carriage, covering his mouth and nose with his palm-leaf fan, and approached this old adversary he had fought for so many years.

But Fang Wang's feather fan was long gone, lost who knows where. From Mount Tai to Dong Commandery, the searing heat and the bloodless torture had wasted him to skin and bone. The cage was filled with filth and a sky-high stench; flies buzzed chaotically, even laying eggs on his grimy skin, soon to hatch… Fang Wang now had not a shred of the dignity of a renowned Guanzhong scholar, and no one had given the order to make him comfortable.

Fang Wang, for his part, assumed an air of mutual sympathy with Feng Yan. He opened eyes crusted with sleep and fly eggs and said with feeling: "Feng Jingtong, from the moment we first met in Longyou, I felt that you and I were the Zhang Yi and Xi Shou of this age — one pursuing Horizontal Alliance, the other Vertical Alliance, fated to be lifelong enemies! And so it has proved!"

Xi Shou was the Warring States strategist Gongsun Yan. Fang Wang's words carried a heavy note of self-mockery: Xi Shou served Wei and Han in succession, held the chancellor's seals of several states at once, and organized Vertical Alliances, yet he was repeatedly defeated by his rival Zhang Yi. Militarily, the six states were also feeble — the allied armies crumbled at Hangu Pass, and Gongsun Yan could only flee in disgrace from state to state, running pointless errands, powerless to stop Qin's great momentum toward unifying the realm.

It was exactly like him — except that in his later years, Gongsun Yan had, in a dramatic twist, returned to Qin and even pushed Zhang Yi out of his post. He, Fang Wang, probably would have no such luck. Returning to Guanzhong this time, he feared there was only death waiting.

But Fang Wang was still the Fang Wang of old, while Feng Yan had changed greatly. In the past, he would have secretly delighted at being called "the Zhang Yi of today"; now, he felt not the slightest joy.

"Master Fang is mistaken." Feng Yan slowly shook his head.

"Zhang Yi and Xi Shou could be called great men — when they were angered, the feudal lords trembled; when they rested, the realm was at peace. You and I are not the same."

Feng Yan gave a bitter laugh. "I have Zhang Yi's flaws — a long tongue that speaks recklessly, a fondness for acting on my own authority, deceiving my sovereign and defying my superiors, committing grave errors time and again. But I lack Zhang Yi's talent. Feng Yan is a man of merely middling ability, fortunate enough to catch the rising dragon of His Majesty's ascendance, riding the wind alongside him — a chicken or dog rising to heaven, nothing more. As an envoy, I am barely adequate; what ability do I have to steer the chessboard of the realm?"

This was something Feng Yan had only realized in a flash after gradually losing his authority. Without him, whether in Jing-Xiang, Qi-Lu, or the Huai region, everything advanced in an orderly fashion. It turned out he had never been so important after all.

Only then did Feng Yan also discover that the early moves — such as persuading Longyou to back the Han and declare independence — were all strokes of Diwu Lun's divine brilliance; he himself had merely carried them out. Who drove events and who did the work was self-evident. He was a chess piece, and the chess player — there was only one!

"A sage sovereign is in the world, taking the realm with openness and rectitude — this is a vast, surging tide. There is naturally no need for strategists to leap about like clowns."

"With an opponent like me, sir, just how brilliant could you be?"

Feng Yan drove the barb deep into Fang Wang's pride: "Faced with His Majesty's stratagems, you were helpless. So what if Wei Ao once put great trust in you? You were still defeated in Longyou. Gongsun Shu wanted to kill you to curry favor with Wei. Liu Xiu's generous treatment was nothing but using you. In the end you scurried from state to state, gaining nothing — nothing but a wretched stray dog fleeing with its tail between its legs!"

This was a small insight Feng Yan had arrived at lately, and he spoke it now only to this "lifelong rival," wanting the man to die with clear understanding.

At first these words truly stunned Fang Wang into silence — it was nothing like the meeting of old foes he had imagined, where mutual respect would be followed by sending him to his death.

Humiliated into fury, Fang Wang blurted out the matter he should have kept hidden in his heart a while longer!

"No!"

Fang Wang was beside himself with rage: "Even if you are no Zhang Yi, I am still Gongsun Yan! Even Su Qin!"

"Do you know, sir, of the one time Gongsun Yan dealt Qin a heavy blow?"

Feng Yan certainly knew: Gongsun Yan's greatest achievement was successfully persuading the Yiqu people west of Qin to help the six states launch a surprise attack on Qin, crushing the Qin army!

"You…" Feng Yan caught on, pointing at Fang Wang. He had assumed that with this man trapped in Lu, he could stir up no more trouble.

"But I still pulled it off."

Fang Wang seemed to be flaunting the last "masterpiece" of his life before Feng Yan: "Not even Liu Xiu knows of this. I long ago imitated the Han sovereign's handwriting, wrote letters, affixed forged seals, and sent them to the Xiongnu Chanyu and to Lu Fang of the Hu-Han. In Liu Xiu's name, I invited them to march south and join the hunt in the Central Plains, promising that once the deed was done, Wei's territory would be carved up — the Xiongnu and Lu Fang could take everything north of the Great River!"

"Lu Fang was most intrigued. Half a year ago he sent a man with a reply to Qufu. The north-south Han alliance is already sealed. The Xiongnu will draw their bows and march a hundred thousand south — trapping Diwu Lun in a pincer, this very summer!"

Gripping the bars of the prison cart, Fang Wang was insufferably smug. With maniacal abandon he laughed:

"I fear that at this very moment, the beacon fires on Wei's northern frontier are already burning!"