Chapter 635: Three Routes Attack Wei

In Former Han times, every major campaign began with a ceremony at the High Temple. Now that the dynasty has changed — and Diwu Lun may well end up as the "Grand Ancestor of Wei" — the family temple holds only a shrine to "Tian Heng, the Martial King of Qi," which is hardly suitable. So all campaign rites have been moved to the North Tower instead.

In years past, this Black Tortoise Tower north of Weiyang Palace — besides its eternal tortoise-and-snake reliefs — once displayed the heads of the King of Nanyue, the King of Loulan, the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu Zhizhi, and a string of others. Though the house of Han has fallen, the North Tower still stands.

Cavalry from the Sanhe region formed ranks on the plaza before the North Tower, their armor and horse barding bright with color, the halberds and lances in their hands gleaming alongside the Five Virtues banners. The crowd that had come to watch pointed and murmured, while the horsemen fixed their eyes on the tower, where His Majesty the Emperor, in full battle dress, was bestowing axe and tally upon the Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry, Geng Yan.

"The fate of the altars of state rests with you, General. Now that the realm faces peril, I entreat the Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry to take command and answer the call."

Diwu Lun grasped the axe blade and placed the haft in Geng Yan's hands: "The state cannot be governed from without, nor the army commanded from within the court. A divided heart cannot serve one's lord, nor a wavering will meet the foe. General Geng, you now hold the authority of drum, banner, axe, and tally — henceforth you need not seek further sanction. When you face the enemy and decide battle, think nothing of death, harbor no second thought. Thus: no Heaven above, no Earth below, no foe before, no master behind. Advance seeking no fame, retreat shunning no blame!"

Because the military situation was urgent and the vanguard had already set out, the ceremony was cut to its barest essentials. After reciting the standard lines, Diwu Lun added a personal admonition to young Geng: "General, remember well: the first aim of this campaign is to besiege Wei to rescue Zhao — to break the siege of Hexi. The second is to deal with the Hu and Han — to sweep Shuofang and Wuyuan and destroy Lu Fang's false Han regime. Do not covet walled cities and their spoils; do not cross the great river and press further north!"

"Your servant reverently accepts this charge."

This was the second year in a row that Geng Yan had received axe and tally. The last time, he had been ordered to campaign in Qing and Xu; this time, the Emperor had entrusted him with an even weightier task.

Geng Yan took the shears a Palace Gentleman handed him with practiced ease, and performed the claw-and-hair trimming, the donning of the somber robe — that is, cutting his nails and putting on the dark battle garb — to show that on the day the army marches forth, there is only the honor of death, never the disgrace of returning alive.

"Your servant swears to sweep away the Xiongnu, exterminate the Hu-Han, and present Lu Fang's head at the North Tower!"

Having declared his resolve, Geng Yan took leave of the Emperor and descended the tower. He mounted the war chariot that had long been waiting, turned its head away from the North Tower, and followed Hengmen Avenue northward, out of Chang'an, never once looking back. For to accept a charge without demur, and speak of return only after the foe is crushed — that is the rite of a general.

Diwu Lun, however, stood long atop the North Tower, watching the retreating figures of Geng Yan and his officers and men. He sighed to Wan Xiu and Jing Dan beside him: "Ten years ago, when Wang Mang mobilized troops to campaign against the Xiongnu, I was in those very ranks, setting out into an unknown journey."

The destination was exactly the same. It was in New Qin-lands that Diwu Lun, with Ma Yuan and Wan Xiu as his right and left arms, and relying on the great cause of resisting the northern barbarians, had raised his very first force.

"Long ago, when we set out, the willows were fresh and green; now as I think of return, the snow falls thick and heavy. Yet now it is high summer, the seventh month — I wonder whether, by the depths of winter, this war will be over." Diwu Lun did harbor some hidden worries about the northwestern campaign, but when he reflected that Ma Yuan, young Geng, and Wu Han — the three fiercest commanders, all masters of cavalry and all seasoned from years of skirmishing with the Xiongnu — had been deployed to the front, his mind eased considerably.

And so, compared to the foreign war, he worried more about the civil war…

"The Xiongnu of today, having swallowed the Western Regions, enslaved the Dingling, and made contact with the Western Qiang, have grown stronger still, while the Central Plain is split three ways. As the saying goes, when brothers quarrel within the walls, they unite to resist insult from without. Now the main strength of the Guanzhong troops is marching north to fend off the barbarians — yet those 'brothers' who share our Huaxia lineage, far from lending aid, will likely stab me in the back."

Wan Xiu understood at once: "Your Majesty fears that the two states of Wu and Shu will seize this chance to strike north."

Diwu Lun nodded: "The strategist Fang Wang, who plied the lords on behalf of Wu and Shu, has already been captured in Lu and will soon be sent to Chang'an for trial. According to Feng Yan's report, it was this very scoundrel who secured Gongsun Shu's enfeoffment of the Xianlian chieftain as king, enabling him to command the Western Qiang, hoping to use the Qiang to contain Wei. Having already stooped to such shameless deeds, it would hardly be surprising if Gongsun Shu now colludes with the northern barbarians as well."

"It is precisely for this reason that I have kept twenty thousand troops in Guanzhong, holding the Ziwu and other narrow passes, to guard against the unexpected."

"Gongsun Shu may send troops north at any moment. Send word to Ma Wenyuan: while he holds off the Western Qiang, he must also watch the Qishan road!"

Diwu Lun beckoned his two ministers and descended the North Tower. He was heading straight for the Lantian encampment, where he would hold a grand and "awe-inspiring" military review, to demonstrate that the State of Wei could still firmly hold the lands west of the passes — and to overawe its enemies.

On Gongsun Shu's side, action was almost a hundred percent certain. But what Diwu Lun watched most closely was still the Eastern Han. If Liu Xiu joined in as well, then the excitement would truly be great. After all, Liu Xiu had just lost Huaibei at the start of the year and was hardly reconciled to it.

Jing Dan said, "But the Embroidered Uniform Guard's agents report that the Eastern Han is not stable internally either. To resettle the Huaibei refugees, Liu Xiu has sent troops to open up the hilly regions of Danyang and Kuaiji — territory of the Shanyue. The Shanyue originally paid Liu Xiu only nominal respect, remaining in practice like tributary vassals. Now tensions between natives and newcomers are sharp, and rebellions flare up constantly. Liu Xiu is busy consolidating the south; whether he sends troops or not is still up in the air."

That was indeed the case. To guard against any contingency, Diwu Lun resolved to do one thing.

"Prepare brush and ink. I shall write another letter to Liu Wenshu — to reminisce about old times!"

…

The fourth year of Wude (AD 28), which was also the fifth year of Longfei for the Cheng regime — the mid-eighth month was supposed to be a rest day, yet the White Emperor Gongsun Shu convened a sudden grand court assembly. Bells rang out across Chengdu, urgently herding the civil and military officials into the palace.

Only after the assembled ministers had paid homage to the Emperor did they learn that a major event had occurred.

After five years as emperor, the somewhat puffy Gongsun Shu was glowing today. He addressed the crowd: "The King of Xianlian and the various Qiang have set aside their feuds and formed an alliance, and have also made contact with the Xiongnu. Now their combined forces, over a hundred thousand strong, are jointly attacking Hexi and Jincheng. They have already besieged Wuwei — the northwest of Wei is in utter chaos."

Gongsun Shu proceeded to catalogue his opponent's failings: "The Wei ruler is young, unlearned and unskilled, ignorant of the way to govern a state, knowing only how to exhaust his army in reckless war. Ever since he murdered Wang Mang, he has raised troops year after year, wearing out a hundred thousand men on campaign. Who could have foreseen the plague in Huaibei, which afflicted hundreds of thousands, so that he failed to destroy Wu in one stroke and had to withdraw empty-handed? Add to that the Yellow River floods and droughts, and millions suffer famine and starvation. Now he is beset by the Qiang and Hu calamity — this is Heaven destroying Diwu Lun. I cannot bear to see the common people of the Central Plain endure such great suffering. I wish to send troops north to attack, to rescue them from fire and water. What do you, my ministers, think?"

The assembled officials looked at one another in bewilderment. Were these great plagues and great disasters really events that had happened in Wei? Why did they sound more like the situation in Cheng?

The Cheng regime had not had an easy time these past few years either. A mere single province supported so many officials and soldiers. Gongsun Shu kept accepting defectors from outside and handing out offices at the drop of a hat. Add to that his frequent northern expeditions and eastern advances, the repeated construction of great ships and the raising of fine horses — there were expenses everywhere. Revenue, meanwhile, depended entirely on that patch of land in Shu. Taxes grew heavier and heavier; the common people could not bear the burden, and many fled into the mountains and forests or defected to the barbarians.

On top of that, Gongsun Shu's iron-coin reform had failed, and the economy was on the verge of collapse. How could it withstand any more turmoil?

At this, Chancellor Li Xiong, who had consistently advocated a "southward advance" strategy and maintaining the tripartite balance, stepped forward to remonstrate: "Your Majesty, in ancient times, when King Wu of Zhou attacked Yin, he first reviewed his troops at Mengjin. The eight hundred lords all spoke with one voice in support, yet King Wu believed the moment was not yet ripe and withdrew his army to await Heaven's mandate. Today, our own state also suffers from famine and weakness; it will be difficult to levy a great army. To send a force a thousand li beyond our borders — I fear it will be hard to carry out."

"Furthermore…" Li Xiong had already put it very tactfully: Cheng now had enough to defend but not enough to attack. He knew Gongsun Shu was unwilling to remain a regional hegemon, so he offered the White Emperor a way to step down gracefully.

"The principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals is to treat the various Huaxia states as inner and the Yi and Di barbarians as outer. Diwu Lun, however rapacious his taxes, is at least still a Huaxia ruler. If we join the Hu barbarians to strike him, I fear we will incur the contempt of the Central Plain's scholars, and damage Your Majesty's reputation."

Gongsun Shu had been emperor for five years, yet he still had not won universal recognition from the scholars of his own state. If he joined forces with the Qiang and Hu to send troops, his name would stink even worse.

Gongsun Shu was a man easily swayed. One moment he was brimming with enthusiasm, eager to show his mettle; now, doused with cold water by the very man he relied on most, he was instantly filled with doubt.

Just then, General Jing Han, who had always vigorously advocated the "northward advance," stepped forward and struck a contrary note to Li Xiong.

"Chancellor Li, your words are mistaken!"

"Ten years ago, Diwu Lun did not possess even a foot of land or a shred of authority. Today, he can command a rabble and sweep all before him, unifying the north. His population and troop strength are several times that of Yizhou. If we do not seize this moment to contend with him for the realm, but instead sit around prattling about waiting for Heaven's timing, I fear that in the end, we shall find that what Heaven offers and we refuse will bring calamity upon us instead!"

With someone now supporting him, Gongsun Shu's stance shifted again. He stopped the argument between Li Xiong and Jing Han, stroked his beard, and said: "Since the Chancellor has raised the distinction between Hua and Yi, and mentioned King Wu's attack on Zhou — I have read the Spring and Autumn Annals thoroughly and am versed in the Five Classics, yet I hold a different view."

Gongsun Shu continued: "I have heard that the Western Qiang originate from the Sanmiao, a branch of the Jiang surname. When royal governance is cultivated, they submit; when virtuous teaching is lost, they turn to banditry. Dwelling on the shores of the western lands, they have always been unruly. It was not until King Wen of Zhou, as Western Earl under Yin-Shang, faced the troubles of the Kunyi in the west and the Xianyun in the north, that he drove out the Rong and Di and garrisoned the borders, after which none failed to submit. And when King Wu of Zhou attacked Shang, the 'Oath at Mu' records eight friendly states sending troops together — among them was the Qiang state!"

At this, Gongsun Shu revealed a self-satisfied smile: "Now the King of Xianlian has submitted to me and become the 'King of the Western Sea.' I, like King Wen and King Wu of Zhou, am leading the Rong and Di to chastise Wei! Hail, men of the western lands!"

Well, well — with this interpretation from Gongsun Shu, the Xiongnu and the Western Qiang had all become his "eight hundred lords"! Colluding with the Rong and Di to invade his Huaxia brothers? Nonexistent! There was only the true Son of Heaven, bearing the Imperial Heirloom Seal, commanding his Qiang and Hu friendly states to obey Heaven and punish the Fifth!

Since the White Emperor had personally entered the fray, Li Xiong could no longer turn the tide. He could only watch helplessly as Gongsun Shu began laying out the plans for the campaign.

Jing Han offered his counsel: "Your Majesty, Diwu Lun has already returned to Chang'an. Even if he dispatches tens of thousands to relieve Liang Province, Guanzhong remains fully garrisoned. It is said he is even holding a grand review of the three armies at Lantian. The various passes between Hanzhong and Chang'an are difficult to take by surprise. It would be better to strike elsewhere first."

Gongsun Shu was also well aware of Yizhou's strength. He should not empty his state for a campaign a thousand li away, staking everything on a single throw. He therefore did not intend to commit the entire state, but only to make use of the various surrendered generals he had taken in, employing their private forces to try their luck. Even if they lost, the White Emperor would suffer no loss.

Thus Gongsun Shu decided: the First Army, under the "King of Shuoning," Wei Ao, commanding his old Longyou troops, ten thousand strong, would march north from Qishan, rally local strongmen, and attack Longxi, pincering Ma Yuan together with the Xianlian Qiang.

The Second Army, under the surrendered generals Deng Feng and Jia Fu, commanding several thousand troops, would march east from Yun Pass in Hanzhong Commandery, raid and harass Wu Pass, and sever Wei's communications with Nanyang and Xiangyang.

The Third Army would be led by the surrendered Chu general Tian Rong, whom Gongsun Shu had enfeoffed as the "King of Yijiang," commanding several thousand troops to advance from Jiangling, seize Nan Commandery, and press straight to the walls of Xiangyang!

"Once these three armies march forth, they will surely awe all of Huaxia. Even if we cannot destroy Wei, we can at least seize Longyou."

Gongsun Shu finally called out Jing Han's name: "As for whether Xiangyang and Nanyang can be taken, that will require the aid of the Han army."

"You, sir, shall set sail at once from the White Emperor City and travel to the southeast in person. Deliver the state letter, and be sure to persuade Liu Xiu to raise troops together with us. I am willing, with the Han ruler, to carve up the Central Plain!"