Chapter 671: Borrowing Jingzhou

Jiangling (present-day Jingzhou, Hubei) is a city of water. Canals thread through every part of the city, while to the south the vast, endless Great River surges eastward, its tides beating against the ancient stone embankments, a long pier stretching far out into the current. In times of peace, Jiangling was the hub of Yangtze shipping: vessels from Ba and Shu glided slowly from west to east, covering a thousand li a day, while Wu ships from Yangzhou laboring upstream against the current needed trackers to haul them safely to shore.

But with the outbreak of the State of Wei's southern campaign, Gongsun Shu could barely look after himself. The grain ships that used to come from Yizhou every year had vanished without a trace, and Jiangling's official grain stores had mostly been taken by Tian Rong to the Dangyang front, leaving Governor Cheng Fan of Nan Commandery with a granary utterly empty — not even a mouse could be found!

Although Nan Commandery was the territory of Tian Rong, the "Winged River King," Gongsun Shu had also appointed a nominal Governor to keep an eye on things. Yet even when Tian Rong was away from the city, the trusted men he left behind showed little deference to Cheng Fan. Just now, for instance, they were pressing him daily to send requests for aid to Yizhou — even if Gongsun Shu could not spare troops, surely he could at least send some grain?

But Cheng Fan's letters all sank like stones into the sea. It was the lean season when the old crop was exhausted and the new not yet in, and in the great city of Jiangling grain was desperately scarce — the price of firewood and rice was nearly catching up to that of spices. Cheng Fan was frantic with worry. Just then, to his delighted surprise, he learned that a fleet of grain ships from a "friendly state" was approaching Jiangling from Cloud Dream Marsh...

"Ten large ships in all, loaded with rice from Xiang Pass in southern Jing, enough to keep Jiangling going for another ten days or even a month!"

The so-called Xiang Pass was the Dongting Lake water checkpoint in Changsha Commandery, under Han control. As far back as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Changsha had been renowned far and wide as a granary, famed as "Changsha, the grain store of Chu." Deeply moved, Cheng Fan could only praise: "The feudal lords of old used their neighbors as drainage ditches; today, Emperor Liu and General Feng treat their neighbors as friends!"

Cheng Fan immediately ordered the river defenses to let them pass, allowing the ten ships to dock unhindered at the Jiangling pier, and came in person to welcome them.

From a distance, the ships seemed full of common folk in plain clothes, working the oars. Yet once the Han ships reached shore, those seemingly harmless figures in white plain clothes surged down in a rush and swiftly seized the pier. When they tore open their plain garments, water-buffalo leather armor was revealed beneath. Tian Rong's trusted men who tried to resist were killed, and Cheng Fan was held at swordpoint by this band of Han soldiers until a tall, powerfully built general came before him. His face full of shame, the general bowed with clasped hands and said:

"Governor Cheng, my subordinates have been reckless — this is truly an offense!"

This man was none other than the Han General Who Conquers the West, Feng Yi. After a brief moment of shock, Governor Cheng Fan said with considerable anger: "General Feng, the Cheng and Han states are sworn allies. Emperor Gongsun and Emperor Liu have mingled their blood and are of one heart, together resisting Diwu Lun. At this moment, the Wei army is pressing hard against the Cheng domain. Instead of being at the front, defending alongside the Winged River King, General Feng has brought his great army back down the river, made a base crossing by stealth, and struck at our undefended Jiangling..."

Feng Yi had his men untie Cheng Fan, but Cheng Fan felt he had been deceived. Furious, he pointed at Feng Yi and cursed: "No wonder Liu Xiu fixed your general title as 'Conqueror of the West.' Sure enough, you have long coveted Jiangling. After this, will you seize the chance to press further west and carve up Ba and Shu with Wei? Do you not know the lesson that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold?"

Feng Yi's face was full of wounded innocence: "Just as the Governor says, the Great Han cannot do without the Cheng domain shielding its upper reaches, and southern Jing and Jiangxia depend on the cover of Nan Commandery and Jiangling. It is precisely for this reason that I have come to save Jiangling!"

"The General calls this saving?"

Feng Yi had his men bring out several crudely made five-colored banners and letters, and explained to Cheng Fan the whole story of how Tian Rong intended to switch sides and defect to Wei. Tian Rong's trusted men, brought over from the pier, also confirmed the truth of the matter. Cheng Fan instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Tian Rong has already been seized by my order by the Tiger-Tusk General, and his troops disarmed by the Han army. But considering that Jiangling was still in the hands of his trusted men, I, Feng Yi, had no choice but to race here day and night — it was truly a matter of last resort."

Hearing Feng Yi speak thus, Cheng Fan's attitude changed completely. Without troubling over whether it was true or false, he simply thanked Feng Yi: "A thousand fortunes! Had General Feng arrived one step later, this Governor would have become a gift offering for Tian Rong's defection to Wei. Even if I had survived by luck, with the vital ground of Jiangling lost, the link between Han and Cheng would have been severed. I, Cheng Fan, would have failed the heavy trust of Emperor Gongsun and would have no face left to live — I could only have thrown myself into the river."

As he spoke, his eyes darted about. He raised his head to look at the top of Jiangling's city wall and said: "General Feng has put down a rebellion for Emperor Gongsun and preserved Jiangling. This Governor is naturally endlessly grateful. But what is the meaning of the Han soldiers planting Fire-Virtue flame banners atop the city walls?"

Although Feng Yi had a justifiable reason, Cheng Fan still feared the Han army would seize the chance to take Jiangling. How was he supposed to go back to Chengdu and explain this?

Cheng Fan's worry was not unfounded. Liu Xiu and Deng Yu had long held the strategy of advancing west into Ba and Shu to "divide the realm in two," and Feng Yi was precisely the executor of this strategy. It was only that no suitable opportunity had arisen in the past few years. Now, with Tian Rong defecting to Wei, of course they would make a major issue of it!

Feng Yi smiled and said: "The matter broke out suddenly. Jiangling and the counties of Nan Commandery are mostly controlled by Tian Rong's partisans, and it is inevitable that they will rise up in swarms to defect to Wei. Since Emperor Gongsun is busy defending Hanzhong and has no leisure to send troops east, the Great Han, as a friendly state, seeing a neighbor's house on fire, must immediately come to the rescue. Not only must we rescue, we must also help defend — how could we dare refuse!"

"What is more, back in the Battle of Xiangyang, the allied army was defeated precisely because orders came from many doors and command was not unified. Now that Cen Peng is about to march south, to avoid repeating that mistake, the Cheng and Han troops and civilians within the bounds of Nan Commandery should be under my unified command. Only thus can we hold Jiangling and drive out the Wei invaders! Therefore, from this day forward, in Jiangling and all the counties of Nan Commandery, the Great Han flame banner shall fly side by side with the White Emperor banner, so that the enemy will know the two states are as one body! What does the Governor think?"

These words were beautifully spoken, and for a moment Cheng Fan could find no argument to refute them.

By the next day, Feng Yi had completely taken control of Jiangling. Han troops arrived in an endless stream by water from Cloud Dream Marsh and seized Ying County, Jiangling's sister city.

When a Han ship arriving from the west came ashore to report that Yiling, Jiangling's western gateway and a strategic pass on the Yangtze, had already been captured, Feng Yi went again to the commandery governor's residence to see Cheng Fan and inform him of this happy tidings.

"The Great River water route is secure!"

As he spoke, Feng Yi handed Cheng Fan a letter stamped with his seal as "Han General Who Conquers the West": "To avoid misunderstandings that might cause suspicion between our two sovereigns and rupture the excellent relations between our two states, I must trouble Governor Cheng to travel west to Chengdu and explain the situation to Emperor Gongsun."

General Feng's manner was full of righteous conviction: "Jiangling, Yiling, and the nine counties of Nan Commandery north of Jing shall remain the domain of Emperor Gongsun. I, Feng Yi, am merely borrowing them temporarily to resist the enemy. Once the Wei army is beaten back, I shall choose a day and return them at once!"

Seeing Cheng Fan hesitate and not take the letter, Feng Yi simply said: "Governor Cheng, can it be that you do not trust Feng Yi?"

Cheng Fan had considerable trust in Feng Yi, whose jurisdiction bordered his own. After all, General Feng had been famous from early on for keeping his word: over a decade ago, when Feng Yi was still a commandery clerk in Yingchuan under the Xin Dynasty, he was out inspecting subordinate counties and was captured by the Greenwood Army. Liu Xiu demanded Feng Yi surrender. Feng Yi replied: "My elderly mother is still in the city. If I surrender, she will surely be executed by the Xin officials. If you can release me to return home and settle my mother, then I, Feng Yi, will certainly come back and submit to you."

Liu Xiu released Feng Yi. Everyone else in the Greenwood Army thought they had been fooled and declared: "General Feng will surely leave and never return!"

To their surprise, Feng Yi did exactly as he had said. Not only did he himself surrender to Liu Xiu, he also persuaded the five counties he oversaw to all defect to Han, allowing Liu Xiu to easily take half of Yingchuan and greatly increase his strength — laying the groundwork for the later Battle of Kunyang...

This was the good reputation for trustworthiness Feng Yi had in his early years. During his time guarding Jiangxia and southern Jing, he had also gotten along quite pleasantly with Cheng Fan. Though Feng Yi held the rank of Han "Grand Marshal," he was humble and courteous. Letters and gifts flowed back and forth between the two men across the river without cease, and when Nan Commandery suffered famine, Feng Yi would even send some grain to help in the emergency.

So in Cheng Fan's eyes, Feng Yi had always been the image of an honest, sincere, and generous elder. Yet this impression completely collapsed after his surprise attack on Jiangling.

"Feng Yi appears sincere and simple, but in truth, he too carries a strategist's mind within his breast!"

But Cheng Fan also knew that the matter was now beyond his control. Jiangling was meat in the other man's mouth, ready to be swallowed at any moment. The problem was, when he saw Gongsun Shu, how was Cheng Fan to explain himself?

"General Feng is a man of trust under heaven, zealous for the public good — how could I dare doubt?" Cheng Fan said in a tone that was almost pleading. "But Jiangling is a great metropolis, Nan a great commandery, its territory stretching a thousand li, with hundreds of thousands of people along its shores. Since it is a loan, might I ask His Majesty the Han Emperor to personally write a state letter, which I could then deliver to Chengdu?"

After a moment's thought, Feng Yi actually removed his Marquis's seal and cord and placed them in Cheng Fan's hands.

"His Majesty is ten thousand li away, and the military situation in Nan Commandery is desperately urgent — there is no time to write a state letter. This is the marquisate seal that I, Feng Yi, wear. If Emperor Gongsun does not disdain it, let it serve for now as a token of collateral for the loan of Nan Commandery!"

Miserable and wretched, Cheng Fan sailed upstream in a small skiff, worrying about how he would explain things when he reached Chengdu.

No sooner had he left than Feng Yi appointed an "Acting Governor of Han Nan Commandery" to manage the peace and order of Jiangling.

Standing atop Jiangling's city walls and looking out, one could see the former prosperity of this water city: apart from the countless palaces of Chu and Han kings lining the Great River, the roadside canals were built of stone, and beyond the canals dwellings pressed close, great and small wards stacked layer upon layer stretching beyond sight, with many eating-house banners flying high.

Feng Yi had long heard that Jiangling was the largest city in Jingzhou. People who put on new clothes to enter the city in the morning would find them torn and crushed by evening. In its flourishing days, the city's several canals were so jammed with boats that there was no way to turn around.

Yet after years of war, plunder by the Shu army, and the exploitation of the warlord Tian Rong who had carved out his own fiefdom, Jiangling presented a scene of desolation. Its population had at least halved compared to the Xin Dynasty era. Grain had mostly been commandeered by Tian Rong, and the common folk farming the outskirts all had a famished, sickly look. Doors in the wards were tightly shut; occasionally one would open a crack, and the people of Jiangling would peer out in terror at the Han soldiers patrolling in formation outside, fearing that they would engage in mass looting and kidnapping as the Shu army had done when it entered the city seven years before.

"Though Jiangling now flies the Great Han flame banner, this place was run by Tian Rong for many years, and the people's hearts are not with us. We must stabilize it as quickly as possible."

The various forces within the Han army were a mixed bag, but Feng Yi happened to be the one with the strictest military discipline. He sealed up the treasures in Tian Rong's palaces and storehouses, taking not a single item, and issued a proclamation to the army: "After the battle, Tian Rong's palace wealth, goods, and silks will be distributed according to merit. Until then, no one shall harass the common people or enter civilian homes without authorization to demand things. Violators will be severely punished!"

A case soon arose: a Platoon Commander from Yingchuan, a fellow townsman of Feng Yi's, had snatched a bamboo hat off a passerby's head to wear because the sun was beating down. Feng Yi held that although the hat was of little value, the act of robbery had been completed, and without the slightest mercy had the man beheaded. The army was struck with terror, thoughts of seizing the chance to get rich instantly diminished, and the people of Jiangling were somewhat reassured. Pedestrians on the streets gradually grew more numerous.

Meanwhile, Feng Yi's subordinates fanned out and took control of more distant counties. The Colonel who had seized Zhijiang County, Jiangling's northern gateway, sent a man back to report, telling Feng Yi: "Several days ago, the Wei general Cen Peng dispatched a flanking force along the old route Bai Qi took to raid Xiling, intending to strike west of Jiangling. They were blocked at Linju County by Jia Fu, Governor of Shangyong for the Cheng domain. The Wei flanking force then withdrew. Hearing that the General has already taken Jiangling, Jia Fu sent a man to say that he has long admired the Han Emperor and is willing to guard the northern gateway for the General!"

"A fine man, this Jia Junwen."

Feng Yi had heard years ago of Jia Fu's exploits in repelling Wu Han at Longxi and rampaging through Danyang. He could not help but praise: "General Jia has the might to break through the enemy's battle lines a thousand li away!"

Jia Fu had clashed with the Wei army and drawn blood, and had shown a desire to defect to the Great Han. He was a friendly force to be relied upon, naturally vastly different from that Tian Rong. Feng Yi sent the Colonel back with a reply to Jia Fu, expressing his hope that Jia Fu could come to Jiangling soon to meet and discuss grand plans together...

Yet before Jiangling could be fully secured and before Jia Fu came to see him, Feng Yi learned of bad news.

The Tiger-Tusk General Yao Qi, while escorting Tian Rong south, had also sent along an urgent report:

The main force of the Wei army had reached Dangyang!

Yao Qi, not daring to engage them directly in battle, had withdrawn from Changban Slope, burned the Dangyang Bridge, and retreated, and was now falling back toward Jiangling.

"How swift they are."

Compared to the expected Wei army advance south in early May, this was a full ten-plus days early. This would clearly disrupt the Han army's deployments.

Feng Yi inwardly felt a jolt of alarm. "Six years since we last crossed swords."

"Cen Junran, your edge is keener still!"