Chapter 663: Sitting Astride the Southeast, the War Rages On

Compared to the Cheng regime, which was visibly exhausted after five years of barely holding on, the "Han" in the southeast seemed to be enjoying something of a "restoration" spirit.

Liu Xiu was already brilliant and astute; though he devoutly believed in prophetic omens, he knew those things alone could not defeat Diwu Lun. For years he had diligently attended to state affairs, holding court every dawn and retiring only at sunset. He repeatedly summoned high officials, ministers, and generals to discuss statecraft, often not sleeping until the night was half gone, and he governed the realm in perfect order.

The Eastern Han court's taxes were heavier than the State of Wei's but lighter than Cheng's. The House of Han's southward relocation had brought many advanced techniques from the Central Plains to the once-barbaric regions of southern Jing and Yuzhang. Moreover, the southern half of the realm he occupied had superb geography; the "Little Ice Age" that so worried Diwu Lun could not threaten the lands south of the Huai and east of the Yangtze in the slightest. Relying on this uniquely blessed gift, the common people had only to be a little diligent — plowing fields and digging wells — to eat their fill and dress warmly, living in peace and contentment.

Five years earlier, swayed by the open stratagem in Diwu Lun's private letter and by the visiting Hexi envoy Liu Long's forceful argument about "the great divide between Hua and Yi," Liu Xiu had not joined the war. He had merely stationed troops at Jiangxia, tying down Cen Peng's Wei army division.

During the half-year that Diwu Lun fought bitterly against Gongsun Shu, the Xiongnu, and the Western Qiang, Liu Xiu thus gained a rare chance to catch his breath. He not only crushed the frequently rebellious Shanyue chieftains in one stroke — providing countless slaves for the great clans of Huainan and Jiangdong — but also sent Deng Yu south. It took a year, but Deng Yu seized Jiaozhou, which had been wavering ambiguously, repeatedly switching sides among Han, Wei, and Shu!

By this year, "Jiaozhou Governor" Deng Yu had been stationed in the south for four years. This great achievement atoned for his earlier defeat by Cen Peng in Jingzhou. With the position of "Grand Minister of Works" vacant at court, Liu Xiu recalled Deng Yu, restoring him to one of the Three Ducal Ministers' seats!

In the third month of spring, the tenth year of Eastern Han's Jianwu era (AD 34), when Deng Yu arrived at the "temporary residence north of the Yangtze," Jiangdu City, he was followed by a half-li-long procession of tribute from Lingnan: carts laden with rhinoceros horns and ivory, exotic perfumes whose fragrance could be smelled from far away, fine timbers, and Yue slaves, bare-bodied and barefoot, carrying emerald-feathered parrots on their arms and holding bizarrely shaped tortoiseshells in their hands.

Most awe-inspiring was the elephant train, numbering as many as ten beasts. Though wild elephants could be seen in Jiangdong, they were nothing compared to the Lingnan people's use of elephants to plow fields and their training of elephants as war mounts. These giant creatures bore howdahs on their backs, each seating two soldiers armed with bows and spears…

This grand tribute from Lingnan drew sidelong glances from the scholars and commoners of Jiangdu; everyone found it novel and believed all the more that the Great Han dominated the south. As Emperor, Liu Xiu also basked in the reflected glory. The alchemists and Confucian scholars he kept could once again clamor: "When King Cheng of Zhou brought great peace, the Yuechang clan came bearing tribute through multiple interpreters. Your Majesty has restored the Great Han — only thus could such a grand occasion occur today…"

Yet after welcoming Deng Yu into the hall, Liu Xiu did not spare a single glance for those rare treasures. He merely clasped Deng Yu's hands, visibly moved, and said: "What comforts me most is that Zhonghua has returned safe and sound."

Lingnan was hot and humid, its climate utterly different from Huainan and Jiangdong. Northerners who went there often fell ill from the unfamiliar environment and died young. Deng Yu had been gravely ill several times but had pulled through each time. Deeply moved, he bowed to Liu Xiu and said: "The tribute your servant presents — the bright pearls, emerald feathers, rhinoceros, ivory, tortoiseshell, exotic perfumes, fine timbers, and such — none of these are truly precious. What is truly precious is Jiaozhou's census registers and households!"

"After Emperor Xiaowu pacified Nanyue, he established seven commanderies: Nanhai, Cangwu, Feathered Forest Guard, Hepu, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan. In the time of Emperor Xiaoping, when the empire was registered, the Jiaozhou Inspectorate recorded 215,000 households and 1,372,000 individuals. These are only the numbers of registered commoners. If one counts the various Yue native kings and minor lords, Jiaozhou should have over two million. In the thirty years since, Jiaozhou has not suffered major chaos; there were only casualties during my southern campaign. The households and population have neither increased nor decreased."

This meant that Eastern Han had not only gained an entire province's worth of territory but also a vast population: before taking Jiaozhou, Liu Xiu controlled all of Yangzhou, half of Xuzhou, and half of Jingzhou, with a combined total of only six or seven million registered people.

Now, with Jiaozhou added, although the population was still only one-fifth of the State of Wei's, it was at least double that of the Cheng regime in Shu!

Yet Liu Xiu did not let it go to his head. He was well aware that Jiaozhou's manpower and resources were like a distant sweet spring — unable to quench a nearby thirst and impossible to convert into hard power for the struggle for supremacy. Lingnan was too remote; the cost of transporting grain and goods was prohibitive. Moreover, northerners could not adapt to the southern climate. Even if Jiaozhou troops were conscripted to fight north of the Yangtze, they would likely succumb to cold and illness, losing all combat effectiveness. The greatest benefit of taking Jiaozhou was still the removal of a threat to his rear.

With no one else present, Deng Yu spoke frankly to Liu Xiu: "Your servant is incompetent. In governing Lingnan for several years, I have only been able to control the four commanderies of Nanhai, Cangwu, Feathered Forest Guard, and Hepu. As for Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan, these three places lie in the extreme south. There are very few registered commoners; the 2,000-bushel commandery governors' decrees barely reach beyond the commandery cities. At the county and township level, power is mostly held by the Luo lords and Luo generals. Tribes are everywhere, and they hardly obey orders."

This could not be blamed on Deng Yu. Jiaozhou's special circumstances were a continuation from the Former Han. Since the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the Yue tribes of the southern commanderies had essentially been exempt from taxes, merely offering exotic treasures as tribute. Later, even tribute became rare. If Han officials pressed too hard, rebellions would erupt. It was for this reason that Zhuya Commandery on Hainan Island had been forcibly abandoned during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han.

Liu Xiu lacked Wang Mang's vanity. "So long as the Luo lords and Luo generals still uphold the Han calendar and do not defect to Wei, I shall naturally maintain the noble titles of the Former Han and reduce their tribute obligations."

Compared to the Great Han's grip on Jiaozhi and Rinan, there were far more pressing matters awaiting Liu Xiu's attention!

"I have just received a letter from Gongsun Shu in Chengdu. It states that Diwu Lun sent Ma Yuan to attack Hanzhong last month, intending a major assault on Shu. Gongsun Shu argues that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold, and he hopes the Great Han will send troops against Wei to help Cheng resolve the crisis in Hanzhong. What is your opinion?"

Deng Yu felt a jolt. Had these brief five years of peace finally come to an end? He immediately replied: "Of course we must save him!"

"Three hundred years ago, when Zhang Yi entered Chu and threatened King Huai of Chu, he said: 'Qin holds Ba and Shu to the west. Great ships, laden with grain, set out from Mount Wen and float down the river — over three thousand li to Chu. Barge-boats carry soldiers, each vessel bearing fifty men and three months' provisions. Drifting downstream, they travel over three hundred li a day. Though the distance is great, it costs no ox or horse power. In less than ten days, they reach Han Pass. If Han Pass is alarmed, then all the cities east of the border will go on defense. Qianzhong and Wu Commandery will no longer belong to Chu.' This is the waterborne army."

Deng Yu speculated: "Diwu Lun's attack on Yizhou is likely an attempt to emulate Qin's conquest of Chu!"

Liu Xiu nodded. "Exactly. You once said that the Han house, re-established in the southern lands, has its center in Jianghuai. Jianghan is our upstream, and Ba-Shu is upstream of Jianghan."

"Diwu Lun favors advancing step by step, nibbling away at the feudal lords. Once he destroys Cheng, he will surely send renowned officials and great generals to garrison Yizhou, fortify Jiangzhou, and emulate the Qin by building great ships and warships. On land, he will slowly encroach on our Huainan and Jiangxia, striving to share the Yangtze's natural defenses with Han. Then, when the summer and autumn waters rise, the towered ships of Ba-Shu will pass through the Three Gorges and sweep straight down to the southeast!"

Liu Xiu could almost envision the scene: the Wei naval forces coming with the river's current, unstoppable, sails blotting out the sky, sweeping through Jianghan and reaching straight for Stone Mountain in Jinling!

"Han and Wei each have two strengths. Wei occupies the northern provinces, with tens of millions of registered people — a military force Han cannot match. Wei holds You, Bing, and Liang provinces: the cavalry of Bingzhou, the great horses of Liangzhou, the shock cavalry of Youzhou — charging up and down slopes, in and out of ravines — the horses of the south cannot compare."

"Han's strengths lie in the natural barriers of Jianghuai and our naval forces on the water."

Liu Xiu had a clear understanding of his own and the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. Once Wei seized Ba-Shu, it would be like water pouring from a rooftop; the Yangtze's natural barrier would vanish, and the naval advantage would be gone.

"Your Majesty is wise." Deng Yu said through gritted teeth: "Though the Great Han's army and people have rested for five years, we still lack the confidence to swallow Yizhou in one stroke and divide the realm north and south with Wei. Therefore, we must first preserve Gongsun Shu, so that he guards our upstream flank."

Although Liu Xiu and Gongsun Shu were outwardly warm — Liu Xiu had even gone so far as to acknowledge Gongsun Shu's identity as the "White Emperor," addressing him in letters as "Emperor Gongsun" and "my elder brother Ziyang" — the fact that Gongsun held the upstream territory still made Liu Xiu lose sleep. What if the alliance broke and the two states turned against each other? What if Cheng were conquered and destroyed by Wei? What then?

Several years earlier, seeing the Cheng regime struggling to cope with Wei and unstable both internally and externally, Liu Xiu, out of worry, had conceived a plan that had yet to be put into action.

Strategic terrain in an ally's hands was not reliable; only when controlled by oneself could one sleep soundly!

The specific strategy had been decided through correspondence with Deng Yu in Lingnan. Deng Yu believed that the Xiongnu, now unified and no weaker than in the time of Modu, had seized Hetao, Shuofang, Wuyuan, and other territories and would inevitably raid the northern borders frequently, just as in the early Han. Although, due to the distinction between Hua and Yi, Liu Xiu, as the legitimate Han sovereign, should not ally with barbarians to attack Diwu Wei, a fellow "Zhongxia" state,

they could still strike Gongsun Shu!

Thus, Deng Yu argued, should another opportunity arise when Wei and the Xiongnu were at war, they could use the pretext of "aiding Gongsun" to have Feng Yi lead troops upriver, seize Baidi City and Jiangzhou (Chengdu), and overthrow the Cheng regime in one stroke!

In this way, the tripod of three kingdoms would instantly become a "Northern and Southern Dynasties."

But plans could not keep pace with events. The conditions for annexing Cheng were not yet ripe, yet Diwu Lun had already made the first move.

Although many court officials, accustomed to five years of peace, said things like "We hope Your Majesty will first watch Wei and Shu fight while the Great Han reaps the fisherman's profit," Liu Xiu had long since made up his mind.

Now, having gained the support of his most trusted strategist Deng Yu, Liu Xiu was even more resolute. He declared: "Without Shu, there is no Han. The situation is critical; we absolutely cannot wait. Diwu Lun has a sharp beak and a sharp tongue; that little clam Gongsun may not withstand him. Immediately order Grand Marshal Feng Yi to mobilize the state's troops. I shall personally lead a northern campaign in the coming days!"

To Liu Xiu, Gongsun Shu was not important.

But Yizhou must not fall into Diwu Lun's hands — that was extremely important!

…

Even though Liu Xiu resolved to send troops to tie down the Wei army, it was still uncertain whether Hanzhong could hold out until then.

That same third month, at Yangping Pass, the Cheng general Jing Han — who had been locked in a standoff with the Wei army for over a month — received an edict from Gongsun Shu. It stated that the relief force had ultimately decided not to advance north via Baishui Pass to pincer Ma Yuan, but instead to detour through the Micang Road in Ba Commandery. The first batch of Ba Commandery troops would not reach Nanzheng until the end of the third month. He was told to hold out a while longer.

Jing Han, the most hardline war hawk in the Cheng regime and the man who had trained a large number of assassins for Gongsun Shu, was momentarily enraged by the edict. He cursed: "This must be Li Xiong's slanderous obstruction!"

With deep grief and indignation, he said: "Hanzhong is the throat of Yizhou. Without Hanzhong, there is no Shu! This is a calamity at our very doorstep, a moment of life or death. Men should fight, women should transport supplies — what doubt is there in mobilizing troops? His Majesty should lead the campaign in person to boost morale and fight Ma Yuan to the death; only then is there a chance of survival. What reason is there for this hesitation and dithering now?"

At present, Ma Yuan's assault on Yangping Pass was fierce, and the situation was extremely dire. Jing Han was not sure how much longer he could hold out. Since reinforcements were delayed, he could only think of his own solutions.

If he couldn't solve the problem, then what about solving the person causing the problem?

"I must secretly order our assassins and spies planted within the Wei army to seize an opportunity to kill Ma Yuan!"