The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)
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I didn't pay much attention to them outside of Changle on my playthrough, but yeah, they are surprisingly interesting, especially all the web of alliances they make up.
As for the map, it is big, but I have to point out that the Tibetan Plateau isn't really part of his lands. It's just because CK2 coolors ares based on who has the border with it. At best, the Tibetan Plateau feel the influence of Yao Shuren, but it's not his.
Indeed, although it does help that the guy hasn't seen a battlefield since joining up with Yao Shuren more than a decade ago.
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210-211: The Challenges of Peace
210-211: THE CHALLENGES OF PEACE
It had taken him five years of his life and kept him away from his home, but it had been worth it. The rebels were defeated, the evil sect had been overthrown and his control over Yi Province had been secured. Finally, Yao Shuren had triumphed in the south. With his enemies either dead or imprisoned, he could finally relax. He ordered his army to hasten pace to get back home as fast as possible. It had been far too long since he saw his family. His heir Yao Xiu must be six by now, or something like that. And surely Xu Shu would be happy to be finally relieved from his duties as regent. With Cheng Pu, Huang Quan and Pan Zheng by his side, the Governor of Liang Province made haste toward his provincial capital.
But he wouldn’t make it before troubles appeared. After being pushed by Xu Shu, Yang Xiu had finally decided to focus on dealing with the bandit problem that was plaguing Sili Province. He put a temporary stop to his own war to attack the bandits and remove them from his lands. After the way they had sacked a city, they could no longer be tolerated. But that attempt to challenge Zhuge Liang ended up in complete failure. The mad strategist was able to trick Yang Xiu and lead him in a trap. When faced with the danger, Yang Xiu decided to abandon the battle and flee with his troops. After that, he decided to keep his wealth under close watch, and warned the Chief Clerk Ren Duo that his gold would only be sent when the roads became safe again. This did not sit well with Ren Duo, who wrote letters to Yao Shuren pleading his liege to come back and do something. If provincial administrators started to withhold taxes out of “safety”, then it could become the start of a far bigger problem.
But while this was worrisome, what truly forced Yao Shuren’s hand was a letter he received in late March. For all his years as a bandit leader, Zhuge Liang had continued to keep an eye on Xiao Ru, that hated bastard who killed his father. He had not forgotten his ultimate goal, never. But now he was suffering from consumption, which filled his twisted mind with worries that he might not accomplish his goal. So he decided to go big. He demanded (not requested. Demanded.) that Yao Shuren give him control of Sili Province. He would then use it as a springboard to invade Xiao Ru and avenge his father. He knew that his pillaging had become inconvenient for the warlord, so clearly Yao Shuren would agree to get rid of it by giving him Sili Province. Of course, there was no way this was happening. Giving up Sili Province meant losing a large swat of territories. Even more important was the loss of the western Imperial Capital of Chang’an, a powerful symbol that gave Yao Shuren much influence. If Zhuge Liang wanted the province, he would have to fight for it.
The Governor of Liang Province now had to push back his return home until he dealt with this crisis. Zhuge Liang was already marching toward Chang’an to make it his seat of power. Thankfully, the garrison he had left in the city was loyal to him. Without an order from him or Xu Shu, they would never open the door to the bandit army. So all he had to do was to make his way up there and deal with that idiot trying to take his lands. Still, he heard that Zhuge Liang was a competent general, one that might prove useful to his ambitions. It wouldn’t be the first enemy that he coerced to his side either. While continuing to make his battleplans to defeat the mad strategist, Yao Shuren also started to work on a diplomatic solution. And he had the right man for the job right next to him.
He had quickly become aware of the past friendship between Zhuge Liang and Pan Zheng, something that made the scholar the perfect envoy to the bandit camp. Obviously, Pan Zheng tried everything to not be sent on this dangerous mission, but this was to no avail. Yao Shuren believed that if someone was going to convince Zhuge Liang to submit, then it was Pan Zheng. Resigned, the scholar packed his things and left the army camp with a few soldiers as escort. When he finally reached Zhuge Liang, he found his former friend a lot less receptive than expected. It seems that the strategist had developed a low opinion of the weak scholar. When Pan Zheng explained how it would be to his advantage to side with Yao Shuren, how it could help him get to Xiao Ru faster than as a bandit, Zhuge Liang refused to listen. He actually explained that he was not sure if Pan Zheng deserved to be allowed to leave his base alive. Unwilling to find out, Pan Zheng fled in the darkness of the night. His bodyguards weren’t so lucky, as the scholar did not notice them of his escape. Zhuge Liang had them all killed in the morning when he found out about Pan Zheng’s flight.
With Cheng Pu and Huang Quand by his side, Yao Shuren marched his troops toward the last known position of Zhuge Liang. To his surprise, he found the bandit army still awaiting him when he finally reached them in June. This put him on edge. Considering how both men were experts in strategy, Yao Shuren could recognize a trap when he saw one. Indeed, Zhuge Liang had rigged the terrain with pits, trenches and other traps that would render the Liang cavalry useless. He hoped that this would be enough to deter Yao Shuren and force him to negotiate. Why go through all the trouble? Well it turned out that Zhuge Liang didn’t really want to fight, having been horrified by the savagery of war after seeing the pillage done by his men. Yao Shuren chose what looked like a prudent retreat, which eased Zhuge Liang’s mind. But the Governor wanted a battle, just not here. A week later, he was able to force the bandit army to fight him on much more favorable terrain, resulting in a massive defeat for the mad strategist.
The demoralized bandit army fled as fast as possible, with desertion plaguing this retreat. At least they were able to evade their pursuers thanks to their innate knowledge of the region after years of banditry. But they didn’t expect Yao Shuren to use this to his advantage. Some of the captured bandits were offered a chance at survival in exchange of guiding the Liang army to the rendezvous point. Using his favored tactic, Yao Shuren raced the enemy force to await them at the end of their retreat. It had the intended effect. Seeing the Liang troops awaiting them in their safe heaven, morale plummeted and the bandit army collapsed. Zhuge Liang was captured and quickly executed, as were every bandit caught with him. It is said that when Xiao Ru learned of the man’s fate, he had a small chuckle of victory.
Surprisingly, Pan Zheng came forward to plead for the life of Zhuge Liang’s children. Maybe it was some lingering sympathy for his late friend, maybe he decided that children should not suffer for the sins of their father. Maybe he finally relented after his wife kept nagging him about saving them. Whatever the reason, he asked his liege that the children be spared, promising to take them as his wards and raise them as loyal subjects. Yao Shuren, who was more focused on finding the remaining bandits that had escaped, accepted. The Zhuge children would be sent to Yizhou Commandery, where they would be raised alongside the children of the Pan Clan.
With this problem dealt with, Yao Shuren could finally return home to Liang Province. He was welcomed with cheers and celebrations, acclaimed as a conquering hero by his subordinates. Not only had he taken two provinces since his departure, but he had also managed to put an end to the bandit epidemic that had appeared in his absence. Xu Shu, who had been waiting for his arrival, was finally relieved of his duties as regent, now returning to the function of Chief Censor of Liang Province. While some might have been miffed at this loss of influence, Xu Shu was simply happy to hand his power back and serve his liege. And besides, Yao Shuren made it clear that Xu Shu would remain as part of his inner circle from now on, whatever office he held. His heroic effort to save his liege when he was kidnapped made sure that Xu Shu would remain in Yao Shuren’s good graces for perpetuity.
Now at home, he also met his wife and his harem. It had been years since he was able to enjoy their company. When he met his wife lady Cheng, she surprised him by first presenting him a young boy, who she introduced as his beloved son and heir. The meeting was awkward for the two of them. Yao Xiu had been a baby when his father departed for the south, leaving him with little to no memory of him. All he heard were the heroic tales people told him about his father, leaving him with high expectation when he finally met the man. Still, he was hesitant when the meeting finally happened, especially as the sight of Yao Shuren’s wounded eye proved shocking. He also didn’t know if he should be happy that his father finally returned or resent him for his long absence. As for Yao Shuren, he simply gazed in silence at the child, before asking Lady Cheng about the boy’s studies. When he heard that Yao Xiu was having difficulties, Yao Shuren told him “Xiu, do better. As my son, you must.” To the young boy, this was not the first meeting he would have hoped.
After assembling his council, Yao Shuren announced that it was high time to reform the administration of his territories. Just ruling them like a governor would rule over commanderies in his province would no longer do. The Han Dynasty had proven to be corrupt and inefficient at in, and its system was in dire need of reforms. Of course, he couldn’t up end the whole administrative system, as it would simply cause anarchy and chaos. No, he just wanted to modernize it a bit, centralize it around himself. By giving too much powers to the governors in fighting the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Han Dynasty had thrown itself in this mess. He needed to make sure that his new subordinates did not get any ideas. To do this, he began reforms that would, in due time, help move the power of his provinces toward him. Lip service to the Han would continue, of course, but from now on it would be sideline compared to loyalty to him as the local warlord.
In these efforts, Mo Jie was finally recalled to the provincial capital to come take an official function at court. The administrator, now fifty years old, was all too happy to help improve Liang Province, although he would find his power curtailed compared to his previous duties. He was given the duty of secretary to the Chief Clerk, Ren Duo, who was lacking the skills for his new duties. Some wondered why not just replace Ren Duo by Mo Jie, but the Head Scholar Duan Zuo made sure to stop this idea. Mo Jie thus found himself writing all day while others made the decisions about the future of Liang Province. To the surprise of many, Mo Jie had improved his calligraphy during his time with his family. New courtiers from Bing and Yi Provinces were impressed by the man’s writing of Chinese characters. Mo Jie had always been a skilled architect who made neat and excellent plans, a skill he had now extended to his writing. Duan Zuo was furious at his rival’s new fame, and Ren Duo became suspicious of his new subordinate.
However, neither of them would prove Mo Jie’s biggest hurdle at court. Instead, it was a relative newcomer who had no qualms offending his elders. The former secretary Pan Zheng, now promoted to Chief Attendant (the one in charge of organizing celebrations and events), quickly took a dislike to the selfless and barbarian friendly Mo Jie. Pan Zheng heard of a local calligrapher who was proving popular and decided to go meet him. When the older man learned who he was talking to, he quickly tried to explain to Pan Zheng that his views on barbarians were wrong and dangerous. At first, Pan Zheng understood it wrong and thought that Mo Jie was a fan, which both pleased and annoyed him. It was only a month later that he finally understood that Mo Jie was, in fact, a filthy barbarian lover who fought for their rights against the Han civilization. This only drove Pan Zheng to voice his beliefs harder, criticizing Mo Jie in the process. With Duan Zuo happily joining in and Ren Duo doing nothing to defend his subordinate, Mo Jie was quietly ordered to go back home, ending his three months return to the provincial capital.
Huang Quan, while a native of Yi Province, had never the less accompanied his liege back to Liang to perform his duties as Commandant. After the conflict with Zhuge Liang, he was sent to oversee the fortifications on the northern border, as some Xianbei had decided to go behind Budugen’s back and raid his ally while their leader was distracted. These were hard trips, especially for a man used to the tropical climate of the south. The northern cold eventually got to him, and Huang Quan would never return home. He fell ill and died in October 210 at the age of 42. He had been Yao Shuren’s greatest ally in Yi Province and the reason why the warlord now controlled the province. His death was a massive loss, especially when it came to Yi Province’s stability. While the marriage between their children had yet to take place, Yao Shuren would still honor it the following year out of respect for Huang Quan’s help.
But now he needed to find a replacement. His first thought was to turn to Cheng Pu. The man had recently resigned as Assistant Administrator to focus on his military duties. He had proven reliable and efficient during the Yi campaign. Clearly, there was no better choice. But when Yao Shuren approached him about the appointment, Cheng Pu humbly refused, saying that he was not fit for the job. This left Yao Shuren in a bind. He could always turn to Xu Shu, but that would empty another office and bring him back to square one. Then there was Hu Zen, his old comrade who had been with him for two decades. But could he be trusted with such an important duty? Not only did he have bouts of insanities, but he was also getting quite old. At 64, the old man might no longer be fit for these duties.
Xu Shu was the one who brought up a solution, although the recommendation of his advisor did not make Yao Shuren happy. There was still one great general at his service, a man of experience who had served in multiple offices during his long career. If his lord wanted a Commandant, then Xuan Su would be an excellent choice. Yao Shuren had actually been avoiding promoting the man to any high office, being aware of Xuan Su’s propensity for betrayal. But he had to realize that he was starting to get out of options. He had other candidates, like Xu Chu, but these were often too immature or too violent to do the job properly. Deciding that it would at least give him a chance to meet the man, Yao Shuren sent orders to Xuan Su to report to the provincial capital at once and take his office.
Ironically, Xuan Su was pretty annoyed by this order. While at any other point he might have jump at the opportunity to gain access to the council, now he found himself in a bind. He was currently fighting a war for Xihe Commandery, a war that was not going as planned. Salvaging this mess was requiring his full attention, which meant that he needed to stay in the north. However, he also realized that unlike Cheng Pu, his refusal would not be taken lightly. He packed his things and went south to Liang Province, leaving the war in the hand of a subordinate. His arrival to the provincial capital would prove the first meeting between the two men. Xuan Su played all his cards right, looking friendly and kind, never talking out of order. After the meeting, Yao Shuren would say in private “This man is a liar who need to be watched at every hour. Heaven is punishing me. For why? I do not know. But his presence by my side is clearly a punishment for something.”
While there was a lack of trust between the men, Xuan Su would prove to have been a good choice as Commandant. The officer would try to do his duties at the best of his abilities in order to prove his worth to Yao Shuren. Maybe if he did his job well enough, he might even gain his trust. His connections on the northern border proved quite helpful at that. Within the first months of 211, Xuan Su came with an interesting idea: organize an elite retinue of Xianbei cavalry. Since Yao Shuren had marriage ties to Budugen the Great, this shouldn’t be too difficult. The leader of the Xianbei Confederation was all too happy to provide these horse warriors in exchange for gold. Budugen was defending his lands from Chinese Korean attackers who were trying to stop his expansion. A flow of cash could tip the wars in his favor, which is why he readily spared some troops for his “ally”.
But there was still the issue of Budugen’s distant cousin Qianman. Qianman was the son of a previous Khagan, but had been passed over in succession due to being a child at the time, the top job going to his father’s cousin instead. The new Khagan then died two years later to a wild beast, with his brother Budugen succeeding him and having been in charge ever since. Acting independently, Qianman had started raiding Liang Province in Yao Shuren’s absence, possibly to eventually launch a campaign against Budugen. The issue was that neither side wanted to be the one to kill him. Budugen wanted Yao Shuren to get rid of his kinsman so that he wouldn’t be called a kin slayer, and Yao Shuren didn’t want to give the barbarians an excuse to attack him in order to “avenge” the dead prince. Xuan Su once again showed up with a solution, suggesting that they make peace with Qianman and escort him to Ji Province, allowing him to raid their neighbors and thus weaken them for conquest. Yao Shuren put this plan into action and made sure that Xuan Su never even got close to Qianman, having other subordinates handle the negotiations and the escort.
Things were going well, but Yao Shuren was starting to be restless. His reforms, while underway, would clearly take time to be implemented. In the meantime, his ambitions remained unsatisfied. The Han restoration under Emperor Qianfei did nothing to calm his nerves. The last thing he needed was a strong Han Dynasty to get in the way. He needed to expand before they could organize. But where to? In the end, he left the decision in the hands of Heaven. He went to his astrologers and asked them “where Heaven needs me the most?” Of course, he subtly hinted them what answer he hoped for. After consulting the stars and the sky, they came back in April 211 with a simple answer, one that Yao Shuren had been expecting.
“Go East.”
Attachments
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This chapter was awesome to read! I am sad for Zhuge Liang for being denied his revenge, though he definitely brought that upon himself with his banditry.
Mo Jie and Pan Zheng meeting was as great as I thought it would be. I am not suprised it took Pan Zheng a month to realize he was dealing with his ideological opposite; between Mo Jie’s incomprehensible speech and Pan Zheng’s self-centeredness it was extremely likely. Now Mo Jie has another obstacle in his struggle to remain politically relevant.
And finally,
Mo Jie and Pan Zheng meeting was as great as I thought it would be. I am not suprised it took Pan Zheng a month to realize he was dealing with his ideological opposite; between Mo Jie’s incomprehensible speech and Pan Zheng’s self-centeredness it was extremely likely. Now Mo Jie has another obstacle in his struggle to remain politically relevant.
an accurate assessment of Xuan Su’s character, accompanied by the only logical conclusion to make when forced into the position where he is your best option for a job.
And the race is on.
And finally,
I was starting to warm up to Xiao Ru, but now I’m starting to remember why I thought he was the series’s most punchable face before Yuan Shu stole that spot (though I guess with Yuan Shu now gone from the story…).
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It is amazing how the stars give the answer that you want. Thank you for updating
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Xiao Ru was starting to look better, but I don't think it's because of him. The fact is, he has a nice cast. His family is mostly sympathetic (especially Changle and Xiao Tung), and most of his subbordinates are decent people. The only exceptions are Zhang Yan and his wife Lady Xia, who makes him look good in comparison. Plus, he has been acting a lot more like a ruler over the recent years, and the way he helped Changle did make him look better (even if it needed Xiao Tung's insistance for it to happen).
But at the end of the day, he is still good old Xiao Ru.
The funny thing is that rarely seems to happen in Chinese history. You'd think that having a ruthless warlord with a massive army and a tendency to kill those that disagree with him would make these astrologers get the message. But no, they keep getting it wrong.
They told Erzhu Rong (my favorite Chinese historical figure), a guy who was basically Dong Zhuo if he was popular with the people and a ruthless barbarian warrior instead of a fat guy, that he couldn't be emperor, even when the Emperor himself kept telling Erzhou "Hey man, you can have the throne. I just want to live."
And the dumbest part is that these guys never get executed for not telling warlords, to their face, that their ideas won't happen.
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210-211: The Qianfei Regime
210-211: THE QIANFEI REGIME
Yuan Shu had fled Luoyang never to return. The Jing forces had won thanks to a timely betrayal. And more importantly, Emperor Qianfei had finally regained control over his dynasty. For the first time since Emperor Ling (168-189), possibly even before that, an emperor was back at the helm. Born in 194, he had only known the division of the Han, the weakening of imperial power and the rise of the warlords. The only Imperial Chancellors he ever met were the sneaky Jiang Xian under his distant cousin Emperor Mu (201-206) and the evil Yuan Shu. But with a child as Chancellor and his loyal eunuch Bozu by his side, the Son of Heaven now had a chance to step forward and help save his waning dynasty. As a sign of things to change, one of his first acts was to change to era name to Yongzhì (永治), which meant the era of “eternal governance”. A bold claim that Emperor Qianfei would need to back up with actions.
The young monarch knew that he needed something to help restore Han authority throughout China, something that would bring the disparate warlords together under his authority. Even if that authority was only temporary or simply on paper, it would still be a step in the right direction. Having spent the last year reading through laws and ancient traditions, he knew what he could claim as legal and what would bring his new regime crashing down. For example, ordering Yao Shuren to hand him Sili Province was a dumb idea, recently illustrated by the bandit leader Zhuge Liang. The issue was that warlords like Yao Shuren, Xiao Ru or Tao Shang had spent the last two decades building their own networks of alliances, networks that operated outside of imperial influence. Attacking any warlord would cut out too many bridges. It didn’t help that Emperor Qianfei had proclaimed the return of the Han loud and clear with his change of era name.
In the end, the Son of Heaven settled on an external threat as the perfect tool to extend his influence. As the emperor, he had powers that were not available to the warlords of China, including the right to call an Imperial Campaign against the enemies of the Han. The last one of these great campaigns had been called two decades ago, when the tyrant Dong Zhuo had forced Emperor Xian (190-201) to remove the White Wave Bandits from Sili Province. Emperor Qianfei would use the same tactic, although this time against a far more dangerous threat. He declared an Imperial Campaign against none other than Budugen the Great, planning to retake the lost Chinese lands from barbarian hands. The Emperor hoped that this common enemy would bring the warlords together to expulse the Xianbei out of China, all while under the overall command of the Imperial Army. Knowledge that Budugen was currently defending himself against Koreans only convinced the monarch that now was the time to strike.
But he had barely started to send militia troops north that another threat appeared within Jing Province. In September 210, barely a month after the final collapse of Yuan Shu’s regime, a barbarian adventurer assembled his kinsmen and decided to invade Jing Province. Born the son of a chieftain, Khu Lien the Brute was a well known Nanyue warlord who had been in the service of many chieftains, eventually turning to raiding with his personal army. Over the years, he had gained a massive following among his fellow barbarians, which had convinced him that it was high time to expulse the Chinese from the south. Unlike previous attempts, Khu Lien didn’t want a few counties for himself. No, he wanted full control of Jing Province, with plans to make himself a king. This was a real threat to the restored Han regime, its first test against a mighty enemy.
But this crisis would expose one of the early problems of the Qianfei regime: the integration of the army into the imperial military. Had Liu Siyuan been alive and been made Chancellor, there would have been no issue. His men and officers would have continued as they did in Jing Province, except that now they would call themselves the Imperial Army. But Qianfei not only lacked the loyalty that Liu Siyuan inspired in his men, he also had other troops to take into account. When Feng Zian switched side, the majority of the Yuan army, including most of the officers, joined the restorationist side. Now that the war was won, they expected to keep their place in the military, even with the Jing army now dominant. And these two sides had only recently been at each other’s throat.
This divide between the people who had been loyal to Liu Siyuan and those that had just recently been serving Yuan Shu wasn’t help by the current administration. While Luoyang was still the Imperial Capital, Xincai still remained an administrative hub for the Jing officials. Even after the child Chancellor Liu Kun was moved to Luoyang by Bozu, many officers and bureaucrats still remained in Xincai. This included the mother of the child Lady Hao, who was too sick to leave the city. More importantly, both Wei Kang, the Assistant Administrator of the province who had kept things running during the war, and Wei Yan, the powerful general who presented himself as the keeper of Liu Siyuan’s legacy, refused to leave. Wei Yan in particular believed that a move north would weaken the influence of the officers. To navigate this, the Emperor would need to keep a delicate balance between the two sides, which he would not do.
Instead, Emperor Qianfei saw this as a sign that the Jing generals might not be as trustworthy as first thought. There was some truth in this. After all, while they pledged themselves to restoring the Han, the fact was that they did this out of loyalty to Liu Siyuan, not to the dynasty itself. Now that the Han Dynasty was indeed restored, Emperor Qianfei saw it wise to build his own base of support, independent from the officers that had served under the Duke of Xincai (Liu Siyuan’s posthumous title). The young monarch saw an opportunity in the former Yuan forces, who were now left leaderless, even with Feng Zian ostensibly their more prominent hero. Against the advice of Yang Weili, who tried his best to play diplomat, Emperor Qianfei reappointed Feng Zian as Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army. This annoyed Jing officers, who had fancied the office for themselves. In an effort to help both sides fuse together, Emperor Qianfei appointed the general Li Tong as Feng Zian’s second-in-command in the campaign against Khu Lien. While Li Tong would follow orders, in private he would complain that he was forced to serve the man who had just been their enemy.
But this would not be the only high-profile appointment coming from outside Jing Province. As Head of the Censorate, Emperor Qianfei turned to a man named Huo Du. Appointed Administrator of Yingchuan Commandery in 209, he served in some capacity on Yuan Shu’s council, which is when Emperor Qianfei took notice of him. Hardworking and a bit arrogant, the man was an excellent politician and a decent general, which is why Yuan Shu had fired him from his council in early 210. His appointment proved controversial. Feng Zian had gotten a pass because he had switched side and played a key role in removing Yuan Shu from power. Huo Du had done none of that, simply sitting in his commandery and passively waiting for his liege’s downfall. But Emperor Qianfei needed Huo Du on his side due to his strategic position. Yingchuan Commandery blocked the path between Luoyang and Jing Province. This made Huo Du the first line of defense against problematic Jing generals, as well as a problematic enemy himself if he was ever left out of the government.
This push to promote people outside of Jing, while ill received, was motivated by decent arguments. Emperor Qianfei was limited in his authority and needed all the help he could get. Even if he was in full control of the Imperial Capital, his authority in Jing Province was tenuous at best, with officials like Wei Yan paying lip service to the Emperor in public while often opposing him in private. The Son of Heaven could not rely on the followers of Liu Siyuan as much as he wanted. To solve this issue, he could either rally them through diplomacy or build his own powerbase, and he had clearly chosen the later. This was necessary if the imperial authority was to become what it was in the early years of the Eastern Han, or even under the Western Han. Sadly, Emperor Qianfei failed to communicate why this was necessary or explain it without hurting his relationship with the Jing officials.
However, one man was proving a bigger annoyance than everyone else, although it was mostly accidental on his part. While most of his fellow officers had a difficult relationship with their monarch, Yang Weili was trying to build a bridge between the two sides of the restorationist cause. The problem was that he didn’t try hard enough. Spending a lot of time in Luoyang, his advises to the throne often sounded half-assed, especially coming from a man who infamously managed to thrown two prosperous provinces in a long civil war. Yang Weili was especially hurt by the generational clash that characterized Emperor Qianfei’s relationship with his older advisors. This was not the first time in history that something like this had happened. You had a young monarch with dreams of improving his dynasty, running into old men who he saw as having outdated and counterproductive ideas. Meanwhile these advisors believed that the young monarch was going too fast and should rely on their experience instead of rocking the boat. Sadly for Yang Weili, this was how Emperor Qianfei saw him: an old fool who was in the way of progress.
Meanwhile, Feng Zian and Li Tong were making their way toward the army of Khu Lien, ready to destroy the barbarian threatening the imperial peace. For all the tension between the two men, they were a surprisingly good team. Even if he became famous as a military scholar, Feng Zian had always been a man of action, his energetic leadership in battle being what gained him the undying loyalty of the Yuan troops all those years ago. But someone had to handle the logistics and administrative side of the war. Li Tong was all too happy to handle the overall organization of the army, having fulfilled a similar role for Yang Weili during the war against Yuan Shu. The two men were quite confident about their chances too, having around four thousand troops at their disposal.
Even with that impressive number, Yang Weili petitioned that another two thousand be sent to support the imperial forces. This petition annoyed Emperor Qianfei, as he had been hoping to send these troops north against the Xianbei Confederation in his grand imperial campaign. However, he had to admit that the petition was in order and that Khu Lien needed to be disposed of. And besides, gaining some combat experience would be good for the troops. Emperor Qianfei sent the reinforcements, who linked with the main army in early January. They arrived just in time to join in the battle. Feng Zian and Li Tong had finally managed to catch up with Khu Lien. The barbarian leader had been unable to do much before their arrival, leaving his army restless and searching for a fight. Feng Zian was all too happy to give them one. Already a sure thing, the arrival of the reinforcements allowed the Imperial Army to destroy Khu Lien’s host.
Khu Lien, realizing that he might have tempted fate by attacking the Han, started to retreat south. His hope was to rally the southern barbarians to his cause, giving him the manpower needed to defeat the Imperial Army. But there was simply no way Feng Zian would let him escape. Khu Lien found his part south blocked, which led him to altern his plans. Now he decided to go for Xincai and take this “secondary capital”. If he succeeded, he might be able to negotiate a deal with Emperor Qianfei, maybe even turn this situation around. This was not to be. In February, Feng Zian was able to caught up with the barbarian host and defeat it once and for all at Neifang. Frustratingly, Khu Lien managed to escape, eventually finding asylum among the southern tribes of Yi Province. But this did not matter. The Imperial Army had been faced with its first threat and had dealt with it with bravo.
This victory gave Emperor Qianfei the political clout he needed to finally deal with the problem of Xincai. Using the threat that Khu Lien might have been to the city, the monarch finally pushed for the full transfer to Luoyang. This “secondary capital” thing wouldn’t fly. The government would permanently move to Luoyang. Yang Weili came forward and told the Emperor that this was a bad idea. Instead, he advised Emperor Qianfei to officially move the Imperial Capital from Luoyang to Xincai. Luoyang was surrounded by Yao Shuren, making it vulnerable to an attack, while Xincai was a lot more protected. And it wasn’t like Luoyang had not been besieged over the last decade. But this was a bit too honest of an advice, and Emperor Qianfei told Yang Weili to learn how to speak to the Son of Heaven. There was no way he would abandon the symbol that was Luoyang. What would the rest of China think if he abandoned his own capital?
Turns out that the rest of China was not impressed by the Qianfei regime. Sure, the shock of the Han comeback took everyone by surprise and put neighboring warlords on high alert. But once the dust settled, they took a good look at the regime and did not like what they saw. Many in China still felt loyalty to the Han Dynasty, especially now that it was on the rise again. But the Imperial Court did not please them one bit. While Emperor Qianfei’s choice of Liu Kun as chancellor allowed him more power, people saw the most important office in China being handed over to a child. A child! But this wasn’t the worse part. Bozu, for all his flaws, was completely loyal to the Han and the Emperor, which is why he proved such a valuable ally for the monarch, who employed eunuchs in various roles at court. But Emperor Qianfei was born after the reign of Emperor Ling, when the corruption of the eunuchs ran rampant. The fact that it had taken the violence of Dong Zhuo to remove them showed how bad the eunuchs had been for China. To many of the older officials and warlords, the rise of Bozu looked a lot like a return to the heydays of the eunuch faction.
Emperor Qianfei was acutely aware of this issue, which is why he worked to make his court as just and frugal as possible, so not to invoke images of excesses and decay. However, his main card in overturning his bad reputation was the imperial campaign against the Xianbei Confederation. In his goal of rallying officials to his cause, Emperor Qianfei had partially succeeded. None of the larger warlords participated, especially those that had marriage ties to Budugen. However, many smaller officials who rose up in the collapse of Gongsun Zan quickly took the imperial banner. These were either motivated by loyalty to the Dynasty or an opportunistic hope that this campaign might improve their situation. Sadly, these desperate warlords produced little troops, and at every corner Budugen was able to defeat the Chinese forces sent against him.
The Son of Heaven knew that losing this campaign would leave him politically crippled. He needed to send his troops to ensure an imperial victory. Leaving under 2000 men in Jing Province for defense purpose, Emperor Qianfei ordered Feng Zian to take the rest of the troops north and defeat Budugen. The Grand Commandant was all too happy to oblige. For the first time in his life, Feng Zian willingly brought his two sons as his subordinates, to the joy of Feng Yong and the grumbling of Feng Guo. Both sons had been given junior commands in the Imperial Army by Emperor Qianfei in the hope of cultivating the loyalty of the Feng Clan. And so the family marched north, ready to defeat the barbarians and save China. And nothing would get in their way.
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Oh dear. You know, when Yao Shuren was told to go east, I thought his plan was to absorb smaller warlords before the Han Dynasty had fully reasserted itself. I didn’t think he would be going straight towards fighting the Han itself! In retrospect, I suppose that is the most direct way of preventing a resurgent Han Dynasty. Guess we will have to wait and see who wins (I just realized that this puts so many beloved characters in the crossfire, and my heart is now filled with dread).
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Everybody wanted the Han restored, until there was a Han with a little bit of bite. Thank you for the update
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Damn, my boy came a long way. Still a shaky position though.
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Go east, young Liang!
I didn't expect Yao to attack the Han when it mentioned going east, but this is certainly going to be a big war. I thought he'd go pick off smaller warlords in the north. And this resurgent Han is a welcome surprise, but still seemed to be riddled with the same old problem of child rulers.
I didn't expect Yao to attack the Han when it mentioned going east, but this is certainly going to be a big war. I thought he'd go pick off smaller warlords in the north. And this resurgent Han is a welcome surprise, but still seemed to be riddled with the same old problem of child rulers.
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Curious to know who you are worried to see die. I know you back Liang but the Han has a lot of likeable people with them.
Yeah, most people just support the Han for show. We had some loyal people, but the majority are dead by now.
He went far from that guy wanting a single county and willing to murder for it.
Give Emperor Qianfei some credit. He's trying to bring back a dynasty that was one county strong a decade ago.
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I like all these characters to much not to worry about them dying, but in regards to who I specifically think is at most risk…
Well Yao Shuren I definitely am worried to see die. Liang feels like it is mostly held together by the force of his will. I worry that if he died, Liang would collapse in on itself.
Xuan Su, is the commandant, so he might end up involved in the fighting.
I don’t want Pan Zheng or Mo Jie to die either, but they don’t get as directly involved in military campaigns compared to other characters, so I like to think they would survive.
On the Han side, I fear for Feng Zian and his sons, as they are liable to be involved in heavy fighting. I also fear for the kid of Liu Siyuan, since, as chancellor, he’s most likely on the chopping block if Liang wins. The position of chancellor has been very dangerous as of late.
That’s all I can think of for now. I will note that even if I haven’t named a character, I’m probably still worried for them.
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210-211: Same Old, Same... Different?
210-211: SAME OLD, SAME… DIFFERENT?
The war for Dong Commandery was lost, an infuriating truth made worse by the fact that Xiao Ru had almost won it. The Governor of Chen Province was especially bitter about that last part. He had been this close to take it, only for that damn Tao Shang to distract him away from his impending victory. His expansion now halted; Xiao Ru could at least get some consolation in the fact that he was now one hundred percent focus on defeating Tao Shang. He sent orders to his son Xiao Tung (who he trusted to rely his orders to the generals). They were to march on the provincial capital of Xu Province and force an end to this war. The threat to his sovereignty had to end, and it had to end now.
Xiao Ru also took this opportunity to patch things up with Cao Cao. Their “alliance” had taken the back seat once both warlords began to race for control of Dong Commandery. With Xiao Ru now out of the war, it seemed wise to back up Cao Cao. He had a marriage alliance with him, something he lacked with Ban Qiao, who currently held the commandery. If he settled things with Cao Cao, it would mean secure borders. And right now, Xiao Ru wanted nothing more than secure borders. The worst thing that could happen would be Cao Cao deciding to attack south once he won Dong Commandery. After a long series of letters, the two warlords came to an agreement, with Xiao Ru sending supply and weapons to his ally in exchange for continuous peace once he had won the war.
But another distraction came to stop the progress of the army, taking away Xiao Ru’s focus on his conflict with Tao Shang. In Runan Commandery, peasants had decided that the rule of their magistrates was too tyrannical to tolerate. Taxes for the continuous wars and the harshness of Xiao Ru’s laws were too much for the peasantry. Dissatisfaction was high, and all they needed was a leader to push them to the brink. That leader came in the form of a disgruntled former-soldier turned gardener named Jie. Jie had ambitions and dreams, yet they had been crushed when his career in the army ended abruptly. Now seeing an opportunity to take his part in this era of warlords and heroes, Jie convinced the peasantry to rebel against the local officials in November.
But the leader of those local officials was none other than Zhang Yan, the former bandit leader now commanding Chen troops on campaign. His followers still in his commandery were quick to warn him of the potential danger, leaving him time to react before the Chen army turned around to deal with the revolt. Suspecting that Xiao Ru would use this as an excuse to get rid of him, the general quickly acted to quash this little uprising. Soldiers, militias and garrisons within his commandery were assembled and put under the command of his followers. By December, this force faced Jie and his peasant rebels in battle, a battle that was won decisively by the forces of Zhang Yan. The peasant rebellion collapsed a week later without the need of Chen intervention.
Feeling proud of himself, Zhang Yan sent news of this success and his role in it to Chenguo. He was convinced that Xiao Ru would have no choice to appoint him Commandant now that he saw how competent he was. Xiao Ru also saw this as proof that he needed to reward the former bandit leader with the position, no matter how much he hated it. But then voices started to appear at court opposing the appointment. The Assistant Administrator Ding Gongsi (son of Ding Yan) decided to place his support with Xiao Tung, saying that making Zhang Yan the new Commandant would overshadow young heir. More successfully, Hu Zan argued that giving command of the campaign to Zhang Yan would not only disturb the current command chain, but also make Chen Province look bad. After all, hadn’t Zhang Yan once helped the Yellow Turban Rebellion? Convinced by the general, Xiao Ru not only denied the appointment, but sent a letter chastising Zhang Yan for allowing the revolt to happen in the first place. Frustrated, the former bandit leader promised that Xiao Ru would eventually appoint him, or else…
At the time, the army was resting within Pei Commandery, which was closest to the border with Xu Province. Because of this, it had taken the brunt of Tao Shang’s assault the previous year. Administrator Yan Yi, a longtime follower of Xiao Ru, was not too pleased to have the army live from his generosity. The region needed to rebuilt and conserve its resources, not give it away to a leeching army. While Xiao Tung did his best to keep the administrator calm, Dian Wei’s arrogance and Zhang Yan’s intransigence finally proved too much. In December, Yan Yi ordered the granaries blocked and the cities closed. The army needed to go on with its campaign and leave Pei Commandery. He even wrote an official letter of complain to Xiao Ru. While Dian Wei tried to argue that they still needed supply, Yan Yi simply sent them packing, refusing to give them even a single bag of rice.
If Xiao Ru’s side was getting hit with various inconveniences, Tao Shang wasn’t faring much better. The Governor of Xu Province had been struggling to push back the invasions from Lu Xun. The entrance of Yang Province in the war had turned a well-planned campaign into a disaster, and Tao Shang was now suffering from it. Had Xiao Ru not ordered his army to attack Dong Commandery, the war might have already been lost. Now that the Chen troops were making their way to his provincial capital, this campaign was on the verge of disaster. He was supposed to erase Xiao Ru from the face of the Earth! Yet things went all wrong. He was horribly injured after a battle with Yang forces, leaving his Commandant Ma Chao in charge, and his Assistant Administrator Ding Zhiguo was prisoner of the enemy. Why was Heaven never on his side?
Talking of Ding Zhiguo, the general had not stayed idle in his captivity. He knew that his lord needed his help to win this war, which meant that he would have to escape the army camp where he was kept prisoner. This escape proved difficult and dangerous. It cost him a lot to get out of his cage and return to the Xu army alive. He even lost an eye in the process as arrows rains on him while he rode a stolen horse away, forcing him to adopt an eyepatch for the rest of his life. But if he could help turn this war around, it would be worth it. When he returned in early January 211, Ding Zhiguo was shocked to find how bad things were. Tao Shang was severely injured and barely able to move, leaving the aggressive Ma Chao in charge. On the orders of his weakened liege, Ding Zhiguo started to wrestle control of the troops from the Commandant. Tao Shang believed that even with a missing eye, Ding Zhiguo was a better choice than the ambitious Ma Chao.
The Chen army was quick to put the Xu provincial capital under siege, although not fast enough to stop Tao Shang’s family from fleeing. While Zhang Yan wanted the city attacked on the spot, no matter the casualties, Xiao Tung finally spoke out against the former bandit. He was opposed to wasting the lives of the brave Chen soldiers. What would he tell their families? Dian Wei also agreed with the young heir, to Zhang Yan’s frustration. On many occasions, he offered the people of the city a chance to open the gates and surrender peacefully, being unwilling to have them die for nothing. Zhang Yan, suspicious that he might be at a disadvantage if he pushed too hard, stopped arguing. This had become a regular aspect of their feud: one general backed the young heir while the other found himself with the opposite opinion and weakened as a result.
Within a month, the Chen army was joined by the Yang forces, with Lu Xun personally leading his men. With the exception of Zhang Yan, everyone was happy to finally see their allies, with the meeting being a festive affair. Lu Xun and Dian Wei actually organized a small banquet in the army camp to celebrate their victory against Tao Shang, which seemed inevitable. Still, the Governor of Yang Province proved prudent when dealing with his allies. He barely knew them and didn’t know what to expect. He was especially unsettled by Xiao Tung continuous attention, although he continued to stay polite. For the young heir, meeting their ally was a dream come true. When he was his age, Lu Xun had inherited Yang Province from his father Lu Jun in the middle of a civil war. Yet he had defeated Hu Zan and remained undefeated since, winning every war he took part of. This had garnered the Governor of Yang Province some fame in the south, in particular with up-and-coming generals like Xiao Tung.
In April, the combined armies learned of a surprising news, one that they quickly celebrated. At the age of 51, Tao Shang had finally succumbed to his injuries. It had been two decades since he inherited the position of governor from his father Tao Qian in 191. During his tenure, he suffered the loss of most of his southern territories when Chen Wen and Liu Siyuan became independent, after which he was forced to submit to the authority of Qing Province. He had spent the last decade trying to regain some of his lost power by crushing the rising star of Xiao Ru. He died without accomplishing his goal.
His successor was his seventeen years old son Tao Junshi, who was completely unprepared for this war. He was no military man, and had in fact never left the provincial capital before fleeing the recent siege. While his father had been a greedy man, he at least knew how to rule a state of law and motivate his followers. Tao Junshi had none of his father’s qualities, having always been the bookish type. Instead of relying on his father’s advisors, the young governor would be extremely suspicious of them. After all, wasn’t it their fault that Xu Province was in this mess? Instead of showing them respect, he would try to outmaneuver them. And when that failed, he would arbitrarily punish them or strip them of their offices, even when it was unwarranted. This level of paranoia and tyranny made his own favor look like a saint in comparison, with Xiao Ru’s image also improving when compared to that brat.
The Commandant Ma Chao would be the first victim of the new Governor’s suspicious nature. For all the struggles between Ding Zhiguo and Ma Chao, now was the time to show a united front. So Tao Junshi saw it wise to publicly admonish the Commandant for his failures and fire him on the spot. In the defense of the new governor, at least he chose a replacement that was competent enough to do the job. The new Commandant Liu Xian had started his career when he was given control of Jianye after it was taken from the barbarians in 208. This was as a reward for the longtime loyalty of his father, the Prince of Donghai (who only died in late 210 at the age of 80). A sixth-generation descendant of Emperor Guangwu (25-57), the man was similar to his famous ancestor: ambitious, but also easily approachable and a well-rounded leader. He was sent to assist Ding Zhiguo, who had managed to convinced Tao Junshi to keep him as Assistant Administrator.
Liu Xian was quickly faced with one massive problem: a barbarian invasion. The change of power had been seen as an opportunity by the chieftain Yan Baihu to retake Jianye for his people. Known as the Depraved, the old Yan Baihu had all intentions to have fun with every Chinese that would fall in his hands. With hope, this might prove the start of a barbarian resurgence for his people. Liu Xian was quite worried about losing the city that had been put under his charge, especially with Tao Junshi breathing down his neck. But Ding Zhiguo insisted that they needed to focus on conquering Chen Province first. What was a simple city worth when they could take an entire province? Tao Junshi was willing to give his generals the benefit of the doubt, although he was not happy about the possibility of losing lands.
But by June, it was becoming clear that the war would be lost. The provincial capital of Xu Province had fallen to the combined armies, and soon they would march against the Xu generals. Deciding that his father’s war was simply not worth it, Tao Junshi offered Xiao Ru to end this stupid war. Smelling weakness, the Governor of Chen Province demanded war reparations, hoping to maybe even squeeze some territories out of it. But there was no way this was happening. Envoys made the trip back and forth between the two governors, with a white peace being eventually agreed in July. Xiao Tung went out and met with Tao Junshi to officialize the peace in his father’s name, his first official action as the heir apparent. Tao Junshi had actually planned to ambush Xiao Tung at the meeting, but Ding Zhiguo convinced him that this was a terrible idea. In the end, peace was achieved, with the borders still the same as they were before the war. Another long, wasteful and useless war.
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PS: So we lost Tao Shang, who has been a longtime antagonist to so many characters of this AAR, first Liu Siyuan and the whole Yang Province crew, and then as Xiao Ru’s nemesis. And now he’s gone.
Anyway, only one chapter for 212, which will focus on the Liang-Han war!
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Farewell Tao Shang, you were a worthy antagonist, but it was your time it seems. Tao Junshi has arrived and proved he is nowhere near his father’s level of competence; he isn’t even at Xiao Ru’s level of competence! Tao Junshi honestly seems like the reincarnation of Yuan Shu; his having to be talked out of the stupid idea of ambushing Xiao Tung at a peace meeting only solidifies that impression.
I also feel like giving congratulations to Cao Cao for outlasting most if not all the people who would have been his biggest rivals in another life.
Keep up the good work! Know that the thought of the Liang-Han war has me screaming internally.
I also feel like giving congratulations to Cao Cao for outlasting most if not all the people who would have been his biggest rivals in another life.
Keep up the good work! Know that the thought of the Liang-Han war has me screaming internally.
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Xiao Tung and Tao Junshi show the importance of preparing for the unwanted but inevitable transfer of power. While Tung has yet to succeed his father, he has been prepared to take over in what will probably be one of the smoothest family transfers that we have seen. While an untrained Junshi is already starting to make huge losses. Next, will the Han dynasty rise like a phoenix or take many steps on the road to oblivion? Thank you for the update.
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Honestly, the Tao Clan seems to be getting worse at each generation. Tao Qian was pretty good, Tao Shang not that much, and Tao Junshi is clearly incompetent.
And I can't believed I'm doing this, but I got to defend Yuan Shu here. While his schemes were usually bad on the long run, he did at least manage to accomplish them, even if we kept rolling our eyes asking "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" I'm not sure Tao Junshi could even get past that first step.
Exactly. It's all great building yourself a massive empire, but if your heir can't preserve it then it's a waste of time. The first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang managed to unify China in his lifetime. Within four years of his death, his Qin Dynasty didn't exist, as his heir was an idiot manipulated by a corrupt eunuch who never did anything when revolts appeared.
For all Xiao Ru's flaws, at least he does have the future in mind.
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The Liang-Han Wae should prove interesting. The Han aren't out of the game of ruling China just yet...
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211-212: Go East
211-212: GO EAST
He who controlled the emperor controlled the Han Dynasty. That has been a fact for centuries now, especially with the amount of puppet emperors under the late Eastern Han. The usurper Wang Mang had previously been the power behind the throne of two emperors before he usurped the Western Han. And more recently, Yao Shuren had seen firsthand how the late Dong Zhuo had obtained absolute power when he took Emperor Xian “under his protection”. Dong Zhuo, Dong Huang, Duan Wei, Jiang Xian, Yuan Shu… All of them had controlled an emperor at some point. Even the heroic Niu Fu could be said to have been the one in charge of the Han during his time as Chancellor. As the most powerful warlord of western China, Yao Shuren looked at this as the next logical step in his career.
But now no one controlled Emperor Qianfei, who was brandishing the banner of Han revival. This restoration of imperial power had to be contained and put back in the bottle before it spilled out. Another puppet master Yao Shuren could deal with. But a legitimate Han government led by the Emperor himself? That made a seizure of power a lot harder to justify. Before it came to this, he needed to stop the Han restoration and return the Son of Heaven to his status as a puppet. Of course, there was no way Yao Shuren would use his real motives as justification for war. Instead, he used the instabilities of the Qianfei regime to his advantage. In a well written proclamation to the realm that he penned himself, the Governor of Liang Province denounced the horrors of the Han court. Eunuchs running wild with powers beyond measures, children occupying the highest offices of the empire and ruthless Jing generals holding Emperor Qianfei hostage. After hearing about the horrors of Luoyang, how could he not act? How could he not come to the safety of the Emperor? It was thus to “save” the Emperor that Yao Shuren declared war in late April 211.
But before he left on campaign once more, there were two small things he had to deal with. Yao Ki and Yao Xiangjun, his two daughters from his late wife Guo Yuyi, needed to be married. Their fiancées were both old enough for it, and this would be one less affair to keep in mind. Yao Ki needed to be married before she made a stupid mistake again, and Yao Xiangjun needed to be married to secure the northern border with Budugen the Great. Yao Ki refused to see her father before she was sent away, still saddened by the death of Hu Cheer during the Yi campaign. It didn’t matter to Yao Shuren though. She was shipped south, where she married Huang Yuan, the son of the late Commandant Huang Quan. A simple marriage that didn’t need much efforts.
Yao Xiangjun’s marriage was slightly more problematic. Budugen was currently fighting a war in northern China against (among other things) a coalition of small warlords on the orders of Emperor Qianfei. Because of this, she would need an escort, with someone in charge to make sure that she arrived safe and sound. At first Yao Shuren considered his trusted follower Hu Zhen. He had recently made the old man Administrator of Jincheng Commandery as a show of confidence. However, there was still the man’s bouts of insanities. And the last thing he wanted was for Hu Zhen to get insane and kill Budugen. Besides, he was in his mid-sixties, so there was a good chance he would drop dead before arriving. Then someone mentioned Mo Jie. The official had no part to play in the war with the Han, leaving him free to lead the escort. His sympathy for barbarians made him the perfect candidate to lead this expedition. Ignoring the fact that Mo Jie was a terrible diplomat and sick at the time, Yao Shuren agreed with his advisors.
Mo Jie would thus leave at the head of two hundred soldiers, followed by a large caravan of servants and followers of Lady Yao Xiangjun that accompanied her to her barbarian marriage. The woman liked to dress nicely and she was not going to deprive herself of good clothes while living with the savages. The trip took most of the year, in part because of Mo Jie’s communication skills. When asking local barbarians for directions, he made it sound as if they were the scouting party for an invasion, leading the Xianbeis to send them the wrong way. They lost two months because of it. At some point Yao Xiangjun suggested that they return home and humbly ask her father to postpone the marriage. Maybe until the Xianbei Confederacy was at peace? But Mo Jie stubbornly refused to give up, even when he had no clue where they were at the time. After months of perseverance, Mo Jie was finally able to bring the bride to her new home… or at least to the army camp of her father-in-law.
Budugen proved a lot less welcoming than expected, and a lot less reasonable than believed. First, he did not allow the delegation to enter his camp before they had given him a welcoming gift. Yao Shuren had packed gold for the marriage, but this was supposed to be given to the Khagan in person. They could give all the rich silk clothes owned by the bride, but she wanted them for after the marriage and refused. So everyone had to give in, with most of the escort actually selling their armor or weapons. Some of the soldiers even suggested to sell a few of the maids in slavery to the Xianbeis to accumulate gold. Mo Jie opposed this, which the soldiers took as a green light for their plans, selling two dozen of women the second Mo Jie had his head turned. Finally, the Liang envoys were allowed in Budugen’s yurt, where they found the Khagan drinking and enjoying women left and right with his greatest warriors. Not the sight they had been expecting. The Xianbei leader proved a lot more amiable in person, showing great diplomatic skills and expressing sorrow at the way the envoys had been abused. It didn’t stop him from taking a perverse joy in making their stay as harsh as possible.
Finally, the marriage took place, with the fourteen years old Xibaxiong meeting his wife for the first time. He was not impressed. Yao Xiangjun, with her humble personality and her pretty clothes, represented everything he saw as soft and weak from the Chinese. He also didn’t understand or didn’t care about the diplomacy behind the marriage, only going through with it to please his father. “Just like Changle, I am sacrificed to these southern weaklings.” he complained. Unlike his older sister, his marriage would not turn out to be an happy one. Neglected by her barbaric husband, Yao Xiangjun would eventually try to find love elsewhere. For his part, Xibaxiong tried to have her killed on multiple occasions, only for Budugen to stop him from sabotaging his alliance. But that didn’t matter. After all, Xibaxiong had an older brother who was to succeed their father, so there was no way this barbarian hating China would ever get close to power… right?
Mo Jie eventually managed to return home in April 212, having missed a full year of the war against the Han, which he didn’t care much for. As long as the people of Liang remained free and unoppressed, he would be content. But he came home to saddening news. His wife Ma Yunlu had passed away at the start of 212. She died at the age of 29, while Mo Jie was 52. They had been married for fifteen years. Mo Jie felt sorrow after her death, having failed to protect her like he had promised Ma Teng at their last meeting. Still, he remarried three months later, this time to Zang Qingling, who was twenty at the time. She was the daughter of Governor Zang Hong of Qing Province, who had died all the way back in 191.
But all this trip to Budugen meant that Mo Jie was nowhere near the action, never witnessing the start of the conflict between Yao Shuren and Emperor Qianfei. The Emperor was taken aback by this declaration of war. This was a surprise, and a pretty bad one. The majority of the Imperial Army was marching north to go fight Budugen the Great. By the time a message reached them, the invasion would be in full swing. This was bad. Still, he might be able to use this to his advantage. Emperor Qianfei quickly summoned his loyal eunuch Bozu. He ordered him to write missives to every official in the provinces, asking them to come to the help of the Dynasty. Bozu told his liege “Your Imperial Majesty, I beg you to reconsider. As you might remember, Chancellor Jiang did the same, yet no one came to his help.” Emperor Qianfei simply replied: “Jiang Xian was not the emperor.”
But until help arrived, either from Feng Zian or someone else, they would need to hold on with the troops that they had. And they didn’t have much. Less than two thousand troops had been left behind for the defense of the Han. Until Feng Zian returned, this skeleton crew would be the only thing between Yao Shuren and total defeat. To lead this army, Emperor Qianfei needed someone that could be trusted. Considering the dodgy loyalty of some of the Jing officers, this was easier said than done. Li Tong and Wei Yan were good commanders, but the former had showed apathy toward the current regime, with the later proving outright hostile at times. Bozu was the one to make a recommendation. Difficult time necessitated extraordinary decisions. They needed to give command to Yang Weili.
Emperor Qianfei was none too pleased with the suggestion. He had been pretty open about his disdain for the man. Why trust a general with such a bad track record? This old man was a useless annoyance who did not understand that things had changed. Surely there was someone else that could be counted on. But after long considerations (too long according to some, as Yao Shuren used that time to start mobilizing), he had to concede that the strategist was their best bet. For all his failures, Yang Weili had successfully led the campaign against Yuan Shu. He would have probably won it too, even without Feng Zian’s help. This dedication to finishing Liu Siyuan’s campaign gained him some respect with the Jing officers, which might prove useful in this dire time. And more importantly, Yang Weili had shown to be willing to submit himself to imperial authority, something that was sadly all too rare these days. With a grunt of resignation, Emperor Qianfei sent orders to the strategist, ordering him to take command of the defense of the Han.
Yang Weili was slow to report to his duties, to the frustration of the Imperial Court. When he finally did, the other officers, most of which were originally from the Jing army, were either shocked or disgusted to see who was with him. To assist him in this campaign was none other than the blind eunuch Jiang Gong, still alive after the horrors inflicted on him by Liu Siyuan. While he had spent the last years living in Yang Weili’s court in anonymity, the Qianfei’s regime would prove an unexpected boon for him. Emperor Qianfei’s empowerment of eunuchs gave him a chance at being useful again. Being blind, he was not given much opportunities, but the fact that he still received a minor office was good enough for him. And then Yang Weili had him commandeered as a eunuch general for the campaign. The presence of a eunuch in command did frustrate many officers, but the fact that it was their old comrade Jiang Gong made things so awkward that they did not speak of it. This campaign would prove the eunuch’s last hooray in military affairs, as complications from his blinding would eventually kill him in October 213.
Emperor Qianfei had his general, but he still needed to make sure that the Jing officers would remain loyal to his cause. They had all claimed to be Han loyalists, sure. They even helped give him back his powers. But when presented with a strongman like Yao Shuren, would they remain loyal to their young monarch? After all, they had loved Liu Siyuan, who from what he heard was a warrior first and a hero second. What Emperor Qianfei needed right now was to remind them of his link with the late hero, to remind the officers that by fighting for him they were defending Liu Siyuan’s dream. To achieve this, he posthumously promoted the Liu clansman again. Already the Duke of Xincai, Liu Siyuan was promoted all the way to Prince of Xincai. Of course, Emperor Qianfei made it clear that the title was not hereditary, so that the generals might not get the idea of replacing him with Liu Kun. With some luck, this would be enough to convince them to back him up against Yao Shuren.
Talking of Yao Shuren, he had not been idle while Emperor Qianfei organized his defense. Both sides knew that the Governor would aim for the Imperial Capital. It was surrounded by his lands, and he had already expressed that his goal was to purge the court and free the Emperor. Everyone knew that he was going for Luoyang, which is why he sent a diversion army from Yi Province, one that would attack Jing Province and force the Han army to march south and leave the capital undefended. Not doing so would endanger the farmlands of the province, a disastrous loss for the Han regime. Meanwhile, he would be leading a northern offensive with a far larger army against the Imperial Capital, an army that he knew the Imperial forces couldn’t possibly match.
To lead the southern push, he appointed two of his newest subordinates. First was Xuan Su, his recently appointed Commandant. The choice of his actual position had been problematic for Yao Shuren. On the one hand, he couldn’t simply leave him in charge of Liang Province while he left. Who knew what he might do? But he couldn’t go in battle while knowing that Xuan Su was right by him. So he compromised, giving the Commandant his own army in the south. An army large enough to challenge the Jing army left in the province, but that would stand no match against Yao Shuren’s main force. Just to be safe though, he assigned another commander that he knew would never betray him. Not because Pan Zheng was his most loyal follower, but because there was no way he would risk his neck once he did the math. Even better, the scholar’s abrupt and honest nature might take the scheming northerner off guard. Even if the two might not get along, they would at least be able to complete their mission.
Meanwhile, the choice for his own generals was a lot easier. As had become a habit since the Yi campaign, Cheng Pu would serve as his second-in-command. The older general had previously served under Yuan Shu and Sun Jian, giving him a knowledge of the region that could prove useful. Cheng Pu was reliable, competent and didn’t spend hours questioning orders. He was perfect for this important mission. But sometimes, you needed to use brute force and violence to fulfil your goals. For this reason, he finally recalled Xu Chu from his long assignment of border defense. Yao Shuren had hoped that this would teach him to be more mindful, but he found the general just as angry and bashful as ever. No matter. Every ruler needed a dog to unleash on his enemies, and Xu Chu was the best he could hope for. With Liu Siyuan and Lü Bu buried, only a few warriors could rival the fighting prowess of the general. Which meant that whoever found himself faced by Xu Chu would have a terrible time.
The Liang forces took a long time to assemble, only being fully ready by early autumn. This might have been great news for Emperor Qianfei, who needed every day he could get until the return of Feng Zian. In fact, the southern army had taken so long to assemble that Yang Weili was actually about to launch an offensive in Yi Province. However, the prospect of an invading Liang army had put the populace on edge. When Emperor Qianfei decided to block the gates of the Imperial Capital, he stopped many peasants and refugees seeking protection within the walls of Luoyang. This scene of the peasantry stuck outside of the cities on imperial orders seemed to have repeated many times in the territories formerly controlled by Yuan Shu, where the fighting was expected to happen. Feeling abandoned, some of these peasants revolted in October, planning to force their way in the cities and seek refuge for themselves, and only themselves.
Yang Weili immediately had to turn around and deal with this new threat. This meant abandoning any plan of fighting the southern army led by Xuan Su and Pan Zheng, with both satisfied of this outcome (Xuan Su because it meant suffering casualties that should be sustained by Yao Shuren’s army, and Pan Zheng because he didn’t have to keep on high alert and could return to writing). On his way north, he was met with Wei Yan, who was still in his commandery and watching the current war closely. Seeing an opportunity to offer help and regain a place in the army, Liu Siyuan’s protégé offered his help in defeating the peasant army. After all, the rebel army was larger than what the strategist had under his command. Yang Weili readily agreed, allowing his fellow general to take as much power as he wanted. Soon enough, Wei Yan was the one giving orders, to the frustration of Emperor Qianfei in Luoyang. Though the Emperor shouldn’t have worried, as once the peasant threat was dealt with Wei Yan planned to returned to his commandery as ordered.
They reached the peasant army in Nanyang Commandery, the core of Yuan Shu’s former territories. The peasants were trying to make their way in the commandery’s local capital and establish themselves there to avoid the war. But that would have hurt the efforts to help the Imperial Capital, and Yang Weili couldn’t allow that. Wei Yan used the rebels’ desire to enter the city against them. With Yang Weili’s help, they were able to maneuver their enemies against the walls of the city. Stuck, the rebels fought a desperate battle against the Imperial Army, a final attempt to break out and free themselves. Wei Yan did not leave them this chance. The peasants were easily defeated, and all those captured were executed as traitors for the crime of seeking safety. His task done, Wei Yan gave command back to Yang Weili and made his way south. But as he returned home, he picked up on the devastating effect this revolt had on morale. The peasants now looked at the Imperial Army not as a protector, but an oppressor. And if this was the kind of brutality handed down by their rulers, what could they expect from the invaders?
But while this was going on, the Imperial Capital had been left to its own device. Acting just as planned, Yao Shuren moved his eight thousand men army against Luoyang and the surrounding cities. Even if the Imperial Capital had a strong enough garrison to hold, the surrounding villages and cities weren’t as lucky. These towns had always remained loyal to the Imperial Court, even going as far as continuing to follow the Han regime when Jiang Xian was in charge of it. For that longtime loyalty, they were sacked by Xu Chu on Yao Shuren’s orders. Although it seemed counterproductive to his goals to use such violence, it actually helped his eventual objective. Luoyang had regained too much of its prestige these last few years. The Governor of Liang Province needed to show that it was undefendable and inappropriate for the Emperor and his court, who would be safer west.
The Imperial Court was panicking, even if the garrison was holding. In the last decade, they had experienced three sieges. First from Yuan Shu in 206, when he took control of Luoyang. Then in 210, when Feng Zian switched side and forced a quick siege of the Imperial Capital before it surrendered. And now this? Things seemed desperate; things seemed doomed. But then the Liang army suddenly abandoned the siege in early January and left Luoyang to march east. What was happening? Emperor Qianfei could only wonder. A few days later, a messenger managed to make his way to Luoyang and get an audience with the Court. He brought news of Feng Zian’s arrival! Everyone breaded a sigh of relief, and Emperor Qianfei declared that “Heaven still favors the Han!” However, the war was yet won. While some optimists argued that Feng Zian had scared the Liang troops, Emperor Qianfei knew enough about war to understand that this wasn’t the case. More likely, Yao Shuren was moving to go fight the Grand Commandant. And all they could do was await the outcome of this coming battle.
Feng Zian found himself in the same situation he was always in: commanding a smaller army against overwhelming forces. He had been expecting to come back as a hero defeating the invaders and saving the Han Dynasty. Except that he was now looking at an army three time larger than his. Even with his usual arrogance, the Grand Commandant was extremely stressed about the battle to come. He certainly didn’t expect Yao Shuren to come meet him head on at the border of Sili Province, blocking his path back to the Imperial Capital. When they finally faced in early February, Feng Zian decided to take the initiative and surprise the Liang troops with ruthless offensives. He eventually spotted a weak point in the Liang formation, quickly throwing his troops against it only to realize that it was a trap. Half of the Han troops were either killed or captured, with Feng Zian himself needing to be dragged out of the battlefield due to severe injuries.
The retreat was ordered as fast as possible, but the damage was already done. Doctors immediately started attending the injured Grand Commandant, doing what they could to make sure that he didn’t die. In order to get through the pain, Feng Zian angrily demanded alcohol, which he started to consume hourly to numb the pain. This left him out of it for most of the day, making him unable to command the troops. The officers who knew how bad things were quickly turned to Feng Zian’s eldest son Feng Yong. With the exception of Feng Guo, who jealously believed that his brother was receiving and unfair favored treatment, the officers allowed Feng Yong to take command. He had military experience and was respected by the officers, making him a perfect replacement for the Grand Commandant. In a stroke of genius, Feng Yong still continued to issue the orders in the name of his father as to not hurt the morale of the troops.
But the morale of the troops was about to take a plunge. After two weeks of retreat, Feng Yong was hoping to regroup and help his army prepare for a long war. But instead of resting in a safe heaven, they found Yao Shuren and the Liang army waiting for them. As always, the Governor of Liang Province had managed to outpaced his enemies to their shock and horror. While Feng Yong wanted to plan a defensive retreat, news of the enemies made their way to Feng Zian’s tent. Drunk and unable to see the actual state of both armies, the Grand Commandant ordered an immediate attack. As the troops still thought that Feng Zian was in charge, they obeyed and assaulted the far larger enemy army. They quickly retreated once half of them had been killed, though. In the span of a month, the Imperial Army had been devastated, and its leader was far too injured to do anything about it.
As Yao Shuren was making his way back to Luoyang, he was made aware that his southern duo hadn’t been performing as well as expected. As it turned out, they had yet to actually enter Jing Province, instead patrolling the border between Yi and Jing for the last year. Xuan Su had been extremely prudent, suspecting that Pan Zheng might report on his every move to Yao Shuren. Xuan Su thus had to explain to Pan Zheng why he didn’t order an attack. His official reasoning was that with Yang Weili having almost invaded Yi Province, they needed to work on defending the border and leave the invasion to the main army. Clearly this was a safer strategy. His actual reason was that he wanted to conserve his troops as much as possible, just in case an opportunity appeared to him. Since less fighting meant more time to write and study, Pan Zheng did not oppose it, although he did write a report to Yao Shuren about the reasoning of his Commandant.
While Yao Shuren was pissed at Xuan Su’s procrastinating, a problem in April would actually give reason to Xuan Su’s official excuse. Seeing how the Liang army was focused on Jing Province, barbarians in Yi Province once again saw an opportunity to rise up, having learned nothing for the ten previous times they had tried it. They hoped that if they could defeat the smaller army led by Xuan Su and Pan Zheng, then they might be able to force Yao Shuren to accept their independence. Surely this plan would work perfectly. A barbarian named Huojiao was able to assemble fellow Namnan to his cause thanks to his credential as a great commander. Even worse, some of the local chieftains secretly financed this revolt. If it did well, then they might think about seeking independence too… Xuan Su and Pan Zheng had to deal with this new problem immediately before it got out of hands.
But if the Liang troops now had an inconvenience to deal with, this was nothing compared to the loss that the Han Dynasty suffered that same April…
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He had taken his sweet time to select the best clothes that he had. It was an important occasion, and he didn’t want to dishonor his father by appearing in dirty clothes. Some might argue that it wouldn’t matter, as he was wearing his mourning white dress over it, along the white headband that usually accompanied it. But Feng Guo loved wearing good clothes, and even in this horrible time in his life this wouldn’t change.
He made sure that dirt didn’t get on him as he made his way between the tents and the soldiers. In the center of the camp were the officers and the advisors, all wearing the ceremonial mourning dresses over their armors or uniforms. They were all on their knees, wailing and crying. Feng Guo did his best to keep his calm, as he dearly wanted to join them in their lament. Everyone in the camp was in mourning, with the Imperial Capital probably doing the same. He made his way to the small altar installed at the center of everything, where his brother Feng Yong was already on his knees. He had even prepared offerings for it, with fruits and other goods that were part of the ceremony. For once, Feng Guo did not complain about his brother acting first. All he could do was fall on his knees in front of the altar, on top of which a single funerary tablet stood with a name inscribed upon it.
冯 Feng
子 Zi
安 An
While his expression remained the same, tears started to fall from his eyes. His father was gone, truly gone. The injuries he had sustained two months ago proved fatal, ending the life of the greatest general of the Han.
“Father…” he whispered. “Father!”
The silent crying of Feng Yong quickly joined his, to which was added the laments of the officers behind them.
“Grand Commandant!”
“General Yang! Why did you leave us?”
The cries continued, but Feng Guo ignored them.
“Father, you were the greatest of us. Your loyalty to the Han was unparalleled. You led us to victory so many times. W-Why…”
He was usually so good when it came to talking. But now he was out of words. He would never see his boastful father again, telling him to go study or advising him on his marriage. Never would they talk again. Never would he be there.
“Why did you have to leave us so soon, father?” he cried. “Who will his Imperial Majesty rely on to save us? Who will deliver us from the evil tyrant?”
“Why did you leave us, General Feng?” one officer added.
“Please don’t abandon us, Grand Commandant!”
Feng Guo used his sleeve to dry off his face.
“Do not worry father!” he declared with tears in his eyes. “As your most loyal son, I will continue your work! I will bring honor to the Feng Clan!”
He then resumed lamenting and bowing to his father’s funerary tablet. After a few minutes, he felt a hand on his shoulder, only to see his brother Feng Yong looking at him. He had a kind smile on his face, which Feng Guo understood as his brother boasting about his lack of crying. Clearly the older brother was being smug about his superiority.
“Guo, we should talk.” he said in a calm voice.
He quickly shoved away his brother arm from his shoulder in frustration. Didn’t Yong see that he was mourning right now? But when he looked behind them, he could see the confusion in the eyes of the officers, who couldn’t understand with Feng Guo had pushed his brother away like that. This show of disunity during mourning clearly did not look good.
“Fine.” Feng Guo whispered. “Lead the way, brother.”
Feng Yong nodded and stood up, with his younger brother following. Feng Guo had never liked his brother. He was always the one receiving praises or special treatment. People kept bragging about how he was such a great commander, or how kind he was to others. “Feng Yong always works so hard!” they kept saying. And he always got special treatment. Even father gave him a pass. When Feng Yong married a woman against father’s will, he was pardoned a few years later. He should have been banished from the household! Yet when Feng Guo married the woman his father wanted, he wasn’t praised or anything. Feng Yong always got everything his way. What an unfair world.
The older brother entered his tent, waving to his brother to follow. With a sigh of annoyance, Feng Guo went in.
“What did you want to talk about, Yong?”
“Father is dead now.” Feng Yong said with a saddened voice. As if he really cared.
“As if I didn’t know that already! You must be happy.”
“How can you say that?” Feng Yong asked in shock.
“Now that father is gone, they all look at you for leadership.”
“At us.” the older brother corrected. “Which is why I wanted to talk to you about what comes next.”
“So? What do you have planned for our future? How will we push back this invasion?”
Fen Guo waited for his brother to speak, which led to a long and awkward pause for both of them.
“… We don’t.”
“What?”
“We need to take the army and pledge ourselves to Yao Shuren.” Feng Yong finally said.
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?”
“We are losing this war, Guo.”
“And your solution is to betray the emperor? To betray father’s memory?”
“Father is dead.”
These words were clearly hard to say for Feng Yong, but that didn’t stop his brother from continuing.
“General Yang is still fighting! We need to go support him!”
“And send more men to their death?” Feng Yong asked. “We should focus on saving lives.”
“I can’t believe you are talking treason.”
“We need to do this together, brother. Otherwise, our army will split and some of it will continue fighting.”
“Of course, they will!” Feng Guo fumed. “Unlike you, they are loyal!”
“Guo, please. We can stop this war. We can save lives, end the bloodshed.”
He offered a hand to his brother. His eyes were pleading Feng Guo to take it to end this war, to prevent the death of innocent lives. e offe
Feng Guo spat at his face and stormed out.
If his brother wanted to surrender, then let him. The traitor didn’t deserve to be the son of the great Feng Zian. Feng Guo would be the one to keep the fight alive, to help save the Han. He would go join General Yang Weili with his troops, and together they would defeat Yao Shuren and Feng Yong. His treasonous brother would be executed for his crimes, and everyone would see who was the worthy son of a hero.
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PS: So, a lot to take in.
First of all, thanks to @Idhrendur for giving me Feng Zian (169-212). The scholar turned great general was an interesting character, and his career really peaked in the last five years of his life or so. While his character development wasn’t exactly positive, turning more arrogant and angrier with time, unlike others he still managed to remain sympathetic. He died a true hero of the Han Dynasty and will be missed. His sons are now fighting on different sides, so who knows where the future of his Clan lays.
Also, Mo Jie’s small road trip north. At first it was supposed to be one or two lines, but then I always wanted to make a road trip section with Mo Jie for some reason. So I jumped at the opportunity. Plus, it allowed us to see what kind of people were Changle’s family. Budugen had always been this far away presence, so seeing him in person was fun to write.
Pan Zheng and Xuan Su in the south has the potential to be a fun duo to follow, which we’ll probably see more when they deal with the barbarian revolt. But you’ll have to wait for that, as in 213 we first have a Xiao Ru chapter before we get to the Liang-Han war again.
Here is Feng Zian’s family tree upon death.
Also, if you wondered what those mourning dresses looked like, here is an image from the show Three Kingdoms (2010).
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That was heartbreaking. Feng Zian is dead (May he Rest In Peace) and this seems to have been the final catalyst for his two sons to firmly drift apart. I fear the war will bring more tragedy in its wake.
For all my desire to see Yao Shuren triumphant, I fully acknowledge that, just as this chapter showed, he is the type of person you really don’t want to be your enemy. For anyone supporting a Han restoration this probably looks like a chapter where the villain is winning and I can’t blame them. I fear that the pro-Han characters might be outmatched, and what that means for them is worrying. I still remember the fate of the village that hid Mo Jie.
Keep up the good work!
For all my desire to see Yao Shuren triumphant, I fully acknowledge that, just as this chapter showed, he is the type of person you really don’t want to be your enemy. For anyone supporting a Han restoration this probably looks like a chapter where the villain is winning and I can’t blame them. I fear that the pro-Han characters might be outmatched, and what that means for them is worrying. I still remember the fate of the village that hid Mo Jie.
Keep up the good work!
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