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196-197: My Success is your Greatest Fear
196-197: MY SUCCESS IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR
The sudden death of Guo Si had come as a surprise to everyone, especially Yao Shuren. His relationship with his father-in-law had been falling apart over the last years as Guo Si had become more and more jealous (and drunk). Yao Shuren had done everything to stay in his good favors, understanding that he needed to keep his current position if he ever wanted to inherit the province one day. Guo Si’s pregnant wife certainly gave him worries that he might be pushed to the side once the governor had a biological heir. His wife Guo Yuyi, who also banked on her husband’s success, tried to help him by playing mediator between her adoptive father and Yao Shuren, but there was only so much she could do to resonate with a drunk. But then Guo Si died while fighting a small revolt, and suddenly he found himself as the new Governor of Liang Province. He was now in charge.
While the death of Guo Si solved his current difficulties, it didn’t mean that he would not honor his predecessor. His first actions as the new governor were to have all the captured rebels executed publicly. Those that caused the death of Guo Si could simply not be allowed to live. He also quickly led the funerary rites for his father-in-law along with his wife, the two of them being front and center of the whole ceremony. This was mostly an effort on their part to legitimize the changing of the guard and reaffirm their association with Guo Si. A sharp political move that had the intended effect. Most of the officials of the province, seeing how the filial attitude they had and the way he honored his predecessor, quickly accepted the transfer of power without much fuss. Many of them had been around since the days of Dong Zhuo. They all knew Yao Shuren and respected him for his military talent, having served with him for years. The oldest of them had even knew his father Yao Huan and had seen their new lord grow up. As for the new ones, they had either been appointed by Dong Zhuo or more recently by Guo Si, making the latter’s son-in-law an obvious candidate for the succession, especially with Guo Si’s wife having run off before giving birth.
But while he was secure internally, Yao Shuren still wanted official control of the province. The Han court might not be as mighty as it once was, but it could still pose a threat to an illegal governor. This was an issue, especially with Duan Wei in charge. The two had fought against each other in 194, and he was afraid that the Chancellor would never be open to a deal. So how happy he was when he learned in early April that Duan Wei had died and that the far more respectable (and less shrewd) Niu Fu was now in charge. He immediately sent the most flattering envoys, with orders to secure support from the Imperial Court. Support from Luoyang meant that everything he did as governor was in the right, as long as he justified it the right way. A powerful tool against other powerful governors like Liu Fan of Yi or Gongsun Zan of Ji. Ironically, Niu Fu’s lack of experience at court ruined Yao Shuren’s plans, as the new Chancellor found himself forced to rely on his military experience. For him, Yao Shuren was a follower of the dangerous Dong Zhuo and had played a key role in the revolt against imperial authority in 194. He wasn’t some new unknown like Administrator Xiao Ru of Chen Commandery, asking for a little recognition to help bring peace to a region in chaos. This was a dangerous enemy of the capital they were talking about. So Niu Fu refused, leaving Yao Shuren frustrated, but patiently plotting for another opportunity.
Over these first months of ruling Liang Province, Yao Shuren was quick to put his most loyal follower to good use, relying on his age and respectable reputation when needed. Hu Zhen had played a key role in ensuring his smooth succession and had always been supporting him when Guo Si was alive, something the new governor was not about to forget. Hu Zhen, for his part, had simply sticked to the early succession pushed by Guo Si, seeing the talent of the younger man. He also (wisely) suspected that it would be dangerous to get in the way of Yao Shuren. For his loyalty and his support, Hu Zhen found himself promoted to the position of Chief Clerk of the province, making him the highest administrative man in the region. While a better commander than an administrator, Hu Zhen would prove diligent and loyal in his duties, yet leaving the big decisions to Yao Shuren. Exactly what the young governor wanted.
But Yao Shuren also needed someone that knew the old texts, someone who knew the books of laws and the ancient writings. For this he was advised to go seek Duan Zuo. Duan Zuo was an official that had been appointed to a post in Liang in 188 and had stuck around ever since. Humble and trusting, he proved useful to Dong Zuo and the other Liang officers at times, which left most of them ignoring his crippling flaws. A lustful and greedy man, he was easily one of the most corrupt officials in the province, skimming money on the side and having his way with as many women as possible. However, he was an extremely knowledgeable and useful man, so his failings were usually ignored. Yao Shuren and Guo Yuyi, at least for the time being, decided to do the same as their predecessors. Th new governor needed a competent scholar to advise him at times, and sadly Duan Zuo was the best he had on hand. When he summoned the man, Yao Shuren noticed how stressed he was. Duan Zuo actually thought he was about to be executed for his corruption until he was given a position at his new lord’s side.
Having surrounded himself with competent advisors (if not always the most reliable), he now turned his attention to a torn in his side. Jin Xuan’s career had been declining over the years due to his many failures, even if he remained staunchly loyal to Guo Si and continuously tried to prove himself to him. What Yao Shuren simply couldn’t accept was Jin Xuan’s position during the succession, the way he tried to mess with his ascension. Showing his blind loyalty to Guo Si, Jin Xuan had insisted that his lord’s pregnant wife would give birth to a son, who was thus the rightful heir. Hu Zhen wisely insisted that Yao Shuren was the new governor, but that didn’t stop Jin Xuan from warning the pregnant wife of her husband’s death. This early warning prevented Yao Shuren from nipping this potential rival in the womb. While Jin Xuan eventually accepted the new order of things in the province, the new governor never forgave that move against his authority. In June 196, when he felt secure enough in his new position, Yao Shuren had Jin Xuan assassinated on a hunting trip. He would not tolerate such insubordination under him.
But as he dealt with the problems of the previous succession, he found himself having to deal with his own. This was an issue that was creating growing tensions between Yao Shuren and his wife Guo Yuyi. So far, the marriage had only resulted in the birth of two daughters, Yao Ki and Yao Xiangjun, with no son on the horizon. While he valued his wife as an advisor, her opinion on succession was unwelcomed at best. For obvious reasons, she wanted Yao Shuren to adopt her son Guo Bian, the bastard she had with Dong Zhuo. She insisted that this would only enhance her husband’s authority in the province and would allow him to firmly carry the legacy of Dong Zhuo. This was not something Yao Shuren wanted to do anymore. The old warlord had been dead for half a decade. The name Dong Zhuo did not have as much gravitas as it once had. Luoyang was controlled by a Han loyalist now, with little of Dong Zhuo’s old generals still around. As for Lü Bu, his many wars had allowed him to stand on his own without the need of his adoptive father’s name. Besides, most of Dong Zhuo’s followers in Bing Province had fled or were dead. To still cling to Dong Zhuo’s legacy would bring little reward for Yao Shuren outside of Liang anymore. So he continued to push back the issue of adoption, always hoping that his wife would eventually give him a true biological heir instead.
Even with this problem, Yao Shuren was able to cement his position as the new Governor of Liang. He had advisors that were influential in the province, most notably the old Hu Zhen, who was always ready to support him against any perceived enemy. While they often bickered, the ruling couple was proving a strong match that solidified power for themselves at the top. The many officials of the province quickly rallied around their young leader. By late July, he had solidified enough control over Liang Province that he could appoint and remove people as he pleased, centralizing more power into his own hands.
Needless to say, the quick rise of Yao Shuren was a worrying prospect for the remaining Liang rebels holed up in Jincheng. Most of them still remembered far too well the brutality used by Dong Zhuo to bring the province back under control during the rebellion, and Ma Teng had not forgotten how Yao Shuren had been given his former territories following the successful campaign of Guo Si a few years back. Han Sui was especially afraid that they were too weak to resist an attack should the new Governor of Liang Province decide to finally wipe them off the map. The old man was fully aware that their situation was precarious. They were the last holdout of a rebellion that started all the way in 184. Han Sui had a son, but he was not even a year old, not exactly leader material. If he was to die, tensions between the various rebels would be sure to rise up, if they hadn’t all been defeated by then. They couldn’t just sit there and wait, or their cause would be doomed. Something had to be done.
Han Sui thus summoned his main advisors to discuss the issue at hand. At his side were his fellow rebel Ma Teng, his protégé Chenggong Ying and the architect turned rebel administrator Mo Jie. They all seemed to agree that something had to be done for the cause of Liang liberation, that they couldn’t just sit there waiting for Yao Shuren to decide to crush them. Chenggong Ying supported the idea of continuing with their old plans of encouraging rebellions within Liang Province. After all, hadn’t Guo Si been killed fighting one of those? Mo Jie was all for that idea, as he had been the one handling most of this operation in the first place and was a firm believer in its success, refusing to take any criticism to the project. However, he proved so energetic in his answer that it came out sounding more like anger than excitement, and it was perceived as him pushing against the idea of continuing these operations. Ma Teng quickly used this to jump in and point out how all these small rebellions had failed.
No, what Ma Teng believed was needed was the support of the barbarians. Han Sui, who was intrigued by this, asked his old comrade for more details. Ma Teng insisted that what they needed wasn’t some small sporadic revolt to back them up. That had failed many times before. No, what they needed was to ally themselves with the Qianghaixi Khaganate, the horde of Qiang barbarians living to the west of their domain. They were the only force strong enough to help in their defence, and maybe strong enough to help them retake Liang Province. Han Sui agreed with the plan, believing that the Qianghaixi had a lot of untapped manpower that could be used in such war. The issue then came as to who to send to negotiate an alliance. Obviously, sending Mo Jie again would be a grave mistake considering how it led to a war the previous time. Since neither Chenggong Ying nor Ma Teng wanted to go, it was suggested that the young Ma Chao go as an envoy. The young officer agreed, happy to help the rebel cause. However, he soon found out upon arrival that Cheliji Khagan had never really forgiven them for defeating him and was envious of the rebels’ successes. He was highly rude and insulted Ma Chao on multiple occasions, and often refused to see him out of fear that the young man would assassinate him. In the end, Ma Chao was sent home packing, the plan for an alliance falling through.
Not only did Cheliji Khagan refuse to ally himself with the rebels, but he also started to raid the border between their territories. This annoyed to no end the magistrate in charge of the border, Qu Yan. His subordination to Han Sui had been forced, and so he used every opportunity to complain to his overlord and warn that he might revolt if things don’t go exactly as he wished. While no one among the rebel leadership liked these threats, they still had to take it into account. This was not the time to have Qu Yan revolt. They thus decided to hit two birds with one stone. They needed to end the raids against Qu Yan and they needed the manpower of the Qiang horde. So Han Sui decided that the best path of action here was simple: conquer some territories from the Qinghaixi Khaganate. Still, Chenggong Ying advised his lord that it would be wise to try diplomacy one last time. But Cheliji Khagan also sent these envoys packing. Seeing that no deal would ever be reached with the Khagan, Han Sui declared war in November 196.
While everyone, from Ma Chao to Wang Bi to even Mo Jie volunteered to lead troops, Han Sui refused them all. He decided that this campaign had to be handled by himself, although he also asked for his old ally Ma Teng to accompany him. The two old leaders took their army and marched through the mountain pass, reaching the territories of the Khaganate within a few months. They actually never saw the enemy force, even if Cheliji Khagan was leading his horsemen in the opposite direction. Having used another road, the Qiang horsemen soon found themselves against the walls of Qu Yan’s city, which had been reinforced by Chenggong Ying and Wang Bi. As it turned out, though, siege was not the speciality of the Qianghaixi Khaganate (as was the case of most horsemen encountering walls). The Khagan thus struggled in trying to besiege the city. No matter his efforts, he was always pushed back thanks to the efficient strategies of Chenggong Ying, who had taken an oath to not let the barbarians enter the rebel territories. And Chenggong Ying was not going to disappoint Han Sui.
Things were a lot easier for Han Sui and Ma Teng. All they found were villages and tents that easily surrendered to the incoming army. The only challenge was finding them. Thankfully, Ma Teng proved quite useful at this, his old network with his fellow Qiangs turning out pretty useful. Once they found guides willing to help the rebels free them of Cheliji Khagan’s control, they were led to the various locations which they secured with little fighting. By April 197, a large swat of territories had surrendered to Han Sui and Ma Teng. Meanwhile, Cheliji Khagan had made no progress whatsoever. Ma Teng suggested that they continue and conquer the whole Khaganate, but Han Sui refused. He forced Cheliji Khagan to accept the loss of territories and to end the war here. The Khagan was infuriated but saw no other option but to accept these humiliating terms. He thus went home, swearing that one day he would return and retake what he had lost.
Han Sui’s refusal to push any further was due to the many panicked letters he had been receiving from Mo Jie. As it turned out, the architect was far better at expressing himself clearly in writing than in words, and he made sure to express how dire the situation was. Because while they were at war, Yao Shuren had finally found a way to gain some official recognition from the Han Imperial Court. In March 197, he decreed that he would finally deal with the remaining rebels that “challenged the immortal imperial authority of the Han Dynasty”. Niu Fu, who was advised that not giving the ok for this would been seen as support for the rebels, agreed to recognize the campaign as an officially mandated one, which gave some legitimate authority to Yao Shuren. The worst fear of Han Sui had finally come true, and now it was time to see if the rebels would be crushed at last or if they could regain the momentum needed to bring their cause to fruition.
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Well, you have two options for that. Option one is reading it now, and option two is continuing to not reading it, which means more chapters to read when you finally get back into it! Who knows what will happen to Yang Weili by that time! Maybe he<ll be dead, or a eunuch, or a prisoner again! Or good stuff could happen, but who cares about that?I always knew he had it in 'em
(This just reminded me of how terribly far behind I am in this AAR. Ah well, what better motivation to get caught back up?)
Indeed! I honestly would have enjoyed it more if he lived longer, but it was a good sendoff.
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I find it ironic that a member of the Han family is leading a rebellion against the Han Imperial Court! Go Rebels!
It is a fun coincidence in term of names.
Yeah, the disappeared for some reason. Tried to fix it, tell me if it's good for you.
I now see pictures!It is a fun coincidence in term of names.
Yeah, the disappeared for some reason. Tried to fix it, tell me if it's good for you.
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Alright, great. Thanks for telling me, by the way. Considering the massive cast of characters in the story, pictures are kind of essential to help remember who's who, cause I'll be the first to admit that just the names makes it way too hard
(made even worst my the fact some people have similar names but aren't related, like Hu Zan and Hu Zhen).- 1
Oh thank god. I thought I was just being a bad reader by failing to be able to tell a lot of these characters apart and getting storylines confused.
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196-197: The Start of Hostilities
196-197: THE START OF HOSTILITIES
Lü Bu had emerged completely victorious of the Black Mountain Bandits. Zhang Yan had dared to threaten Bing Province, yet now he was fleeing in order to save his life. Lü Bu returned home victorious with little to worry about. That was until he learned of all this mess that was happening between Xuan Su and Guo Wen, the two administrators guarding the northern frontier. He found himself bombarded by messages from both sides the second he was back in his provincial capital. Each of the two men demanded that he supports them in the conflict. Enraged, but also not caring at all about this little feud, he more or less told them to deal with it themselves and to leave him alone. Other than baring Xuan Su from exerting his official duties while the little conflict went on, the Inspector did nothing to punish them for their private war. He had more important things to deal with.
No, what really bothered Lü Bu at the time was how Gongsun Zan had tried to steal his victory. Toward the end of the campaign against the Black Mountain Bandits, the Governor of Ji Province had ordered his subordinate Tan Weiping to go deal with the bandit raids. To Lü Bu, this was nothing else of an insult. He had been the one fighting this war, yet suddenly Gongsun Zan wanted to steal his victory? How dared he? The great Lü Bu would not share the glory with anyone! He was also made aware of the fact that Tan Weiping had been ordered to guard the border between their provinces. Another move that, from Gongsun Zan’s perspective, was justifiable for the safety of his territories. Yet it was interpreted as a challenge by Lü Bu. While he was advised to tackle the issue diplomatically, the letters he sent to Gongsun Zan were far closer to threat than official complains. Then again, subtlety had never been a talent of the great Lü Bu. It was only because Gongsun Zan was fully focused on his Jibei campaign at the time that tensions did not immediately rise up.
Lü Bu’s own shift toward belligerence was shortly halted in March 196 due to a barbarian revolt. The tensions in the north between Xuan Su and Guo Wen led many barbarians to lose faith in their Chinese overlords. An ambitious and slightly idealistic Xiongnu named Qiangpu certainly saw an opportunity in the situation. Watching the conflict being fought without battles, Qiangpu hoped to be able to free his people the same way, without a fight. He stubbornly believed peaceful rebellion would work, so all he did was have his men expulse all the local officials of his county and declare themselves free. But Lü Bu would have none of that crap. He called back Zhang Yang, the general who had assisted him during the war, and marched against this little shitty rebellion. When news reached him of the incoming army, Qiangpu refused to accept it as fact. He instead sent envoys demanding that his Xiongnus be allowed to go free. When the envoys’ heads were sent back, Qiangpu and his allies panicked. Soon enough, they were brutally crushed by Lü Bu, who had most of them slaughtered.
Once he dealt with the Xiongnu revolt and returned to his provincial capital, Lü Bu found himself bored of his administrative duties. He had just crushed a barbarian revolt, only a few months after defeating the dangerous Black Mountain Bandits. But now he found himself seeking more battles, more victories, more conquests. Yes, he was the invincible Lü Bu! Why would he need to wait and simply administrate when he could conquer more territories? Some advised him that he should move on Luoyang. Duan Wei had just died, which had surely left the capital divided and ripe for the taking. Controlling the Emperor would give their lord the authority to do anything he wished. But Lü Bu didn’t want to wage war in the name of a teenager. No, his accomplishments would be his own! Instead, he began to look at Gongsun Zan’s territories as a perfect target. Yes, continuing east would be a great boon to his expansion. Soon enough he began to conscript new soldiers, brutally forcing locals into his army. To make sure this was done right, he promoted Zhang Yang as his new Commandant, replacing the incompetent man Xuan Su had placed into the office as a puppet. Zhang Yang, while trying his best to be kind to the people, also proved quite resilient in his recruitment, which made him few friends among the populace.
By now, the little war between Xuan Su and Guo Wen wad more than an annoyance. It was now a distraction that slowed his own plans. Tired of this, he sent Zhang Yang to finally broker a peace and end this damn conflict. But with his Commandant absent, some disgruntled peasants decided that it was time for some payback. As Zhang Yang was brokering a peace north, a man named Gonggan decided he had enough of the brutal rule of Lü Bu. In mid-June, he assembled a thousand supporters, and with the help of other sympathizers inside the city, started a revolt from within the provincial capital. Xuan Su, who still had agents working for him, was made aware of what was happening, but allowed it to happen as a little payback to Lü Bu. And who knew? Maybe he could use this to his advantage, showing that without him his lord was defenseless. Lü Bu was certainly taken by surprise by the little revolt, but he was far from defenseless. He led his troops street by street, slaughtering the rebel forces. Gonggan, who hadn’t planned much further than that, was unable to offer an organized opposition to the Inspector of Bing Province. After a few days of fighting, the provincial capital was back under control, just in time for Zhang Yang to send a letter about the new peace on the northern border.
After securing his new territories, Xuan Su raced to the provincial capital. It seemed that Lü Bu wanted his insight on his war plans against Gongsun Zan. Xuan Su couldn’t be happier with this summon. He hoped that this meant he was back in the good graces of his lord. But if that was what he wanted, then he found himself quickly disappointed. Upon arrival, he realized that Lü Bu was already planning his strategies without him, relying on Zhang Yang to advise him on the issue. No, instead Xuan Su found himself heavily criticized for failing to prevent the peasants who stormed the provincial capital. He was forced to take the insults in silence, even if it was Lü Bu who forbid him to do his job in the first place (although, to be fair, he was aware of the revolt beforehand). Once they returned to the war plans, someone had the great idea of suggesting an alliance with Liu Yu, the Inspector of You Province. Lü Bu angrily rejected the idea. “I, the great Lü Bu, does not need the help of lesser men!” But Xuan Su shrewdly replied: “Then why not let lesser men like Liu Yu die for you, my lord? Why waste your time on the duties of weaklings?” This hit a cord with Lü Bu, who agreed that yes, lesser men like Liu Yu could certainly be used that way. Deciding that an alliance could be useful after all, he sent messengers to You Province to suggest a partnership against Gongsun Zan.
When the messengers arrived in early July 196, You Province was not in a great shape. Ever since the departure of Gongsun Zan, the province had been declining, and fast. Liu Yu had never reclaimed the Liaodong peninsula from Gongsun Du (no relation to Gongsun Zan), the man sent by Dong Zhuo to secure the region in 190. His Wuhuan tributaries had lost most of their lands to the rising power of the Xianbei Confederation, led by Budugen Khagan. Soon enough, the Khagan had turned against the province itself, with most of the coast now controlled by the Xianbei horde (with the exception of one county, still held by a loyal Wuhuan officer named Tabati Tanzhi). And Liu Yu, who lacked any real talent when it came to commanding his officials, found himself getting more and more jealous of some of his subordinates. One of them, Wei Yusheng, played on these jealousies and succeeded in presenting himself as a loyal ally of his lord. This allowed Wei Yusheng to convince Liu Yu to wage war against the Northern Xiongnus in order to reclaim some of his rightful territories, a move that had been opposed by most of the senior officers. When the messengers from Lü Bu arrived, this war had been going on for four months, with the tide finally turning in Liu Yu’s favor.
The offer of an alliance was a surprising one, but also something that the Inspector of You Province found himself open to. After all, he had a difficult relationship with Gongsun Zan, who had previously been one of his subordinates. The Commandant of the Province, the old Ding Kai, also known as “the Winged Tiger”, was quick to support the idea of an alliance. He admired the way Lü Bu and his men had taken the problem of the Black Mountain Bandits head on, unlike Liu Yu who ignored it. Seeing this as another show of insubordination and fearing this would give his Commandant too much influence, Liu Yu did a one eighty and began turning against the idea, now seeing it as a way to undermine his power. In this he was supported by the eminently efficient Wei Yusheng. Wei Yusheng greatly enjoyed the power he currently held in the province, as it could have been argued that he was actually the one truly in charge. Allying with Lü Bu would mean making the province dependent of the warlord, and more dangerously, would conflict with his own influence over Liu Yu. So Wei Yusheng advised to refuse any overtures from The Inspector of Bing Province.
What none of them could have predicted was the way Lü Bu would react to their refusal. He was enraged, seeing it as nothing else than a proof that they were in collusion with Gongsun Zan. He soon began to turn his attention on a way to make Liu Yu pay for refusing his gracious offer of alliance. Everyone quickly got behind Lü Bu’s new obsession, realizing that You was a far easier target than Ji. Besides, the resources of You Province would be useful when the time came to eventually strike against Gongsun Zan. So troops started to mobilize with plans to now conquer You Province and annex its territories. Xuan Su began to prepare himself for the coming campaign, but was told that he was not welcomed. He was instead assigned to stay in the provincial capital and protect the northern border in Lü Bu’s absence. This was seen by Xuan Su as another in a series of many slights, but he could do little to oppose it. In late September 196, Lü Bu declared war on Liu Yu, starting a conflict that would shape the future of northern China for the decade to come.
As for Liu Yu and his subordinates, they were shocked when they received news that Lü Bu was coming to attack them. They were knee deep in their campaign against the Xiongnus and could spare little to oppose their new enemy. Thankfully for them, Lü Bu had a large territory, which meant that it took time for all his troops to assemble. This allowed Liu Yu to continue focusing on his current war with the barbarians without much worries of the Bing forces appearing before the end of the year. Thank to that additional time, the forces of You Province were able to end the war before the arrival of the Bing army. By November, they had forced the Northern Xiongnus to surrender the territories that Wei Yusheng desired. He soon moved in, happy with the way he had pushed his lord into giving him more territories.
But a bigger problem soon arose. Unexpectedly, this one did not come from Bing Province, but from the heart of Liu Yu’s territories. In the northern province, there were as many barbarians as there were Chinese, and not all of them were loyal to the Han regime. The local barbarians had certainly held hope that their northern brethren could come down and free them from Chinese oppression. When this didn’t materialize, they decided to take the matter into their own hands. A Tengri shaman named Sufuwan of Wuhuan origin assembled a large army of followers, preaching the teachings of the Tengri faith and declaring that it was time to free themselves of the oppression of Liu Yu. In many ways, he tried to mimic his revolt upon that of the Yellow Turbans, that sectarian movement that rose up against the Han Dynasty a decade before. It seemed to have worked as six thousand barbarians assembled under Sufuwan’s banner, ready to free themselves of their Chinese.
Ding Kai quickly moved to lead the local garrisons, motivated by the fact his estates were in the region currently targeted by the rebels. Liu Yu ordered him to stay to fight Lü Bu, but Ding Kai answered “You would rather let the barbarians take our province rather than help a great man. What a worthless scum you are.” Showing clear insubordination, he left his duties and marched back to his domain, leaving only a thousand men to help the defence of the province (possibly in the hope Lü Bu could then quickly dispose of them and take over You Province). His first act was to write a missive to Lü Bu, declaring he did not support Liu Yu’s decision of resisting and welcomed him in the province. After that, he tried to focus on the barbarians, although there was little to be done due to their massive numbers.
When Lü Bu and Zhang Yang finally appeared in late January 197, the armies of You were disorganized and almost leaderless. Wei Yusheng panicked when the Bing forces finally appeared and fled his domain to join with Liu Yu in the provincial capital. This left the field empty for Lü Bu, who started to take the various cities and forts on the border without too much efforts. Within two months of his arrival in the province, he had already secured the entirety of the border. The fact was that many local officers simply chose to abandon Liu Yu and join with Lü Bu. Why stick with the incompetent old man who never appreciate your service when you can join a winning warlord? With the rate of defection and with Ding Kai trying to handle Sufuwan and his uprising, Liu Yu had only one general on who to rely: the barbarian Tabati Tanzhi. Well, he also had Wei Yusheng, but only the Wuhuan chieftain was willing to lead troops against Lü Bu. And Tanzhi’s motivations weren’t even noble in the slightest. He hated Liu Yu to his core and hoped that Sufuwan would triumph. The only reason he was helping was that he believed his brethren would have a far easier time against Liu Yu than against Lü Bu.
In late June 197, Lü Bu finally met the army of Tanzhi. The Wuhuan had been ordered by Liu Yu to go confront the enemy force before it was too late, as Lü Bu was now within weeks of the provincial capital. Tanzhi only had a thousand troops to oppose the four thousand men army of Lü Bu. Never the less, the barbarian general was stubborn and refused to let such a insignificant factor as numerical inferiority hinder his effort. The two armies met at Pincheng, were Lü Bu took the lead in charging against the enemy force. He didn’t even need Zhang Yang, who he left in charge of protecting the camp and harassing any enemy that tried to flee. His martial prowess did much to demoralized the You forces, and when the dust settled Tanzhi’s army had sustained ten time more casualties than the Bing soldiers.
With the defeat at Pincheng and Sufuwan’s revolt still going strong, Liu Yu was in a desperate situation. Wei Yusheng had been pleading him for months to go ask Gongsun Zan to assist them, but the Inspector of You Province refused. He wasn’t going to go crawl to his former subordinate for help. But as Lü Bu continued to approach with little resistance, he relented. Messengers passed the border between You and Ji and quickly reached Tan Weiping, who in turn sent them to the court of Gongsun Zan. The Governor of Ji Province was surprised that his former liege actually asked him for help, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t planned for this possibility. Following his successful campaign for Jibei, he had been preparing for an eventual confrontation with Lü Bu once his war with Liu Yu ended. But now he was given an opportunity to stop Lü Bu before he took You Province instead of reacting to such conquest. Gongsun Zan still consulted with his advisors and generals, who all agreed that Lü Bu had to be taken out. Now convinced that this was the right call, Gongsun Zan officially declared war to Lü Bu in July 197, turning this conflict into a massive war over the future of northern China.
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The characters? Other than the screenshots (which are more a timeline of pictures, really), I mostly do it from memory, although the fact I have to recheck the provinces for each of their chapters help.
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196-197: The War for Shansang County
196-197: THE WAR FOR SHANSANG COUNTY
After years of struggle, the rebels had finally defeated Tao Shang and gained their independence. This would have been a source of celebration for Liu Siyuan, had it not been for the fact that his father had passed away just as he was signing the final peace. News of this saddened him to the highest level. Liu Si had been a loving and caring father, always making sure Liu Siyuan stayed on the right path. He even tried to help his career by sending him to live with Liu He in 184, a decision that would lead his son to his current situation. The two had sadly never seen each other since, although they kept a lengthy correspondence. Liu Siyuan organized the whole funerary arrangements himself, refusing to leave this duty to anyone else as he was Liu Si’s only son. As much as the sadness of losing his father was the realization that Liu Si would never see his dream of a powerful Han come true. “You lived for the Han.” Liu Siyuan would say on his father’s altar. “Father, your hopes will not fade away with your passing. I shall carry your dreams to their fruitions. May our imperial ancestors be witnesses to my determination! The Han Dynasty will never fall! No villain or corrupt bureaucrat will stop me from restoring it to its righteous height!”
Liu Siyuan showed his filiality to his father by remaining in mourning for the rest of 196. While he retreated from public affairs, the strategist Jiang Gong and the general Su Ta handled the military affairs while his wife Lady Hao Huitong tried her best to keep the daily administration going. Liu Siyuan did however write a letter to the Imperial Court, demanding the return of his father’s body. He wished to build a family tomb in Xincai, starting with his father and hoping to one day also get his cousin Liu He’s body in it too. Chancellor Niu Fu was quick to acquiesce to this demand. He had nothing but the upmost respect for Liu Si, as both were at their core Han loyalists (even if Niu Fu ironically blocked Liu Si’s attempted restauration of imperial power). It is said that Niu Fu shed a tear when he read Liu Siyuan’s letter, impressed by the man’s filial piety. Niu Fu had Liu Si’s corpse escorted by an honor guard, carrying a letter of condolences from the Emperor himself, who was sad of the death of one of his main supporters. Amazed by this show of kindness, Liu Siyuan wrote a lengthy letter to the Court, thanking the Emperor for his generosity and the Chancellor for his kindness. This would mark the start of a lengthy correspondence between Niu Fu and Liu Siyuan that eventually led to a lasting friendship.
Lady Hao certainly assisted her husband as best as she could during this difficult time for him. She helped in the administrative duties of the two counties they controlled (although she had little experience in this domain) and tried her best to keep everyone calm. But she also spent much of that time with her husband, mourning her father-in-law out of respect and because he was family, even if she had never met him. Liu Siyuan greatly appreciated her presence by his side, and it also helped their relationship to spend a lot of time alone together. The two also tried to perform their “marital duties”. With the death of his father, the reality that he had no children of his own became a more pressing problem. The fact their time together would once again not result in a child only frustrated Liu Siyuan.
It was only in January 197 that Liu Siyuan finally awoke from his slumber, ready to work toward bringing back the Han Dynasty to its former glory. He was helped in this by Jiang Gong asking him to come back and take charge of the province, but he at first refused and continues to mourn. It was only when he learned of Chen Wen’s death that he decided that he needed to act. Now the strategist Yang Weili was in charge of Jing and Yang Provinces. In one of his first decisions, he reached out to Liu Siyuan, offering a non-aggression pact between the two. The scion of the Han agreed, but this also made him realize something. If push came to shove, he was the one who would need protection, not Yang Weili. He was the weakest one that couldn’t defend himself. This couldn’t stand. Liu Siyuan didn’t want to be dependent on someone else for his safety, and to do that he needed to expand his domain.
Some argued that he should go liberate Liu Yi, another member of the Imperial Clan who had just lost his territories to the warlord Xiao Ru, whose territories now bordered Liu Siyuan’s domain. While enticing, he pointed out that Liu Yi had not asked to be liberated, so his distant cousin might simply see it as a new invader replacing the previous one. Instead, his attention turned on Shansang County, controlled by Magistrate Li Tong. Li Tong was a man known for his strength and his good nature. In 193, he even came to the rescue of the Han Court when the Dynasty was threatened by barbarians. Considering the other two who led troops to defend the Court were the great Cao Cao and the highly respected Sun Jian, this made him famous throughout China.
Liu Siyuan first held hope that a man of such reputation as Li Tong would agree to join him and his cause without a fight. But Li Tong cared about his territories, having already lost some of it in the early 190’s to Yu Province before it collapsed. While he thanked the envoys, he also insisted that he would not surrender Shansang County without a fight. Liu Siyuan received this news without a nod of acceptance. He understood perfectly Li Tong’s reasoning. If anything, it only upped the magistrate in his esteem. They were warriors, and if Li Tong wanted a fight, then it would be unproper to not give him one. In late January 197, Liu Siyuan assembled his troops to go to war.
News of the small conflict quickly reached Jing Province, where the general Huang Zu still controlled a commandery. He had been grumbling ever since the end of Chen Wen’s revolt, as he did not feel rewarded for what he perceived to be his crucial support during the war. The likes of Hu Zan or Yang Weili had received most of the attention, which he blamed on the fact that they belonged to Yang Province and not Jing Province. But this argument was undermined by his complains of Chen Gengguo’s growing influence in the south of the province, who was quickly becoming the unofficial voice of the local officials. His standing dropped considerably more when he refused to go visit Chen Wen on his deathbed out of pride (and probably spite). He felt left behind by everyone, which only angered him more. So when he learned that Liu Siyuan, the general he disliked the most during the war, was planning to expand and gain influence, Huang Zu was enraged. He decided that he simply couldn’t let that happen, especially since his own territories bordered those of Li Tong. A few weeks later, the general declared he would take Shansang County before Liu Siyuan could get his hand on it. The race was on.
The entrance of Huang Zu in the war was a worrying prospect for Li Tong, enough so that he decided he couldn’t risk leaving the defence of his stronghold to someone else. He instead put trusted followers in charge of the army that was to march against… well, whoever showed up first. The subordinates believed that Huang Zu would need more time to assemble his army, which meant that Liu Siyuan would surely be the first threat to reach them. So they encamped close to the border with Xincai. They were actually swiftly spotted by a vanguard led by Su Ta. The soldiers encouraged their leader to launch a surprise attack on the Shansang forces, but Su Ta refused. He was not the kind of man to make these decisions alone, so he instead insisted that they return to their lord to report their findings. He didn’t want to attack cowardly like that without Liu Siyuan’s approval. When he returned to the main army, he was praised for his refusal to ambush the enemies. Jiang Gong especially lauded him for acting honorably in this circumstance. Su Ta simply said that he did as he was asked, which still warranted praises in Liu Siyuan’s eyes.
In June, after much wait, Liu Siyuan finally met the Shansang army in battle. The two forces met at the town of Zhanghuatai. It was clear from the get go that Liu Siyuan had the advantage. He had more troops, more experienced officers and a better strategical position. The battle seemed so obviously rigged in their favor that Jiang Gong suggested that they should offer their enemy a chance to surrender without fighting. But Liu Siyuan was in a mindset where he wished for a battle. After all, the battlefield was his element so he at least wanted one victory before the end of this conflict. News of Huang Zu’s involvement in the war also motivated him to fight, as he did not want his men to get sloppy due to a lack of fighting. If he ever had to fight Huang Zu, he wanted his men to make him proud. So the two armies fought, ending in the expected result of a total victory for Liu Siyuan. Half of the enemy forces were killed in the battle, and the rest promptly surrendered to Liu Siyuan.
Things were going from bad to worse for Li Tong. News of his army’s destruction were followed by the appearance of Huang Zu’s host on the horizon. The general had made sure to work his troops as hard as possible in order to get there first. Soon enough, the city found itself under siege by Huang Zu. While he commander the actual siege, he left his son Huang She in charge of the security and the defence of the camp. This would turn out to be a grave mistake, as Huang She was clearly unqualified for such rigorous duty. Like his father, he was arrogant and easily angered, annoyed to have to sit around watching security. Unlike his father, he was also incredibly lazy, and security was stupidly lacking in the besiegers’ camp.
Huang She’s ineptitude proved to be a great boon to Liu Siyuan. He learned of the siege and consulted with his advisors on what to do. Personally, he wished to ride down a hill and destroy Huang Zu in a heroic charge. Jiang Gong suggested patience, however, and instead offered to infiltrate the city and seek an audience with Li Tong. After hearing his full plan, Liu Siyuan agreed with Jiang Gong and allowed his strategist to partake in this difficult mission. The security was so lax that Jiang Gong easily walked (not sneaked, walked) through the camp and was able to enter the city secretly once he explained to some defenders that he was an envoy. While some of Li Tong’s supporters advised him to kill Jiang Gong, the magistrate was quick to reject this idea. What kind of man killed an envoy, in his own home, without even listening to him? So Li Tong invited Jiang Gong to his court to speak.
When Jiang Gong arrived, Li Tong asked him if Liu Siyuan also wanted his head, as Huang Zu had expressed a desire to have Li Tong executed. But Jiang Gong explained that Li Tong had gotten his lord all wrong. Liu Siyuan was only expanding to secure a base from which he could help restore the Han to its greatness. Never had his lord wished to kill or humiliate Li Tong in doing so. On the contrary, he still wished for the magistrate to join him. As Jiang Gong put it: “My master is the greatest hero of the land, but great heroes need great companions of your caliber, Li Tong.” Li Tong would even receive a position on Liu Siyuan’s staff if he agreed. Surprised but relieved by the proposal, the magistrate asked for the night to think it over. While some of his advisors still told him to kill Jiang Gong, hoping it might appease Huang Zu, Li Tong chose to instead take the offer. Liu Siyuan had showed great respect to him, and from what he was told the men captured after the battle were well treated. If a hero like that fought for such a noble cause as saving the Han, then maybe it was actually possible to do it. In early July 197, Li Tong wrote a letter of surrender, which Jiang Gong caried back to his lord. Li Tong offered Shanyang county to Liu Siyuan and submitted to his authority, promising to hold the city until his arrival.
With Li Tong now rallied to his cause, this left the issue of Huang Zu, who had yet to be made aware of the surrender. Liu Siyuan, not wanting his new subordinate to suffer for long, ordered his troops to race for the city to relieve the siege. In the meantime, he sent a letter to Huang Zu, which only read “I warned you once. Enter my lands and face the consequences.” Huang Zu had the man who brought him the letter killed out of rage. When Liu Siyuan arrived in late July, he left the actual command of the battle to Su Ta and Jiang Gong. No, he had things to settle with Huang Zu.
The two men searched for one another on the battlefield. Huang Zu kept screaming: “Liu Siyuan! Where are you hiding? You cannot cheat to win like last time, so you are hiding now? Come face me coward!” When he heard the general continuously screaming these insults, Liu Siyuan felt his blood boil. He quickly raced to Huang Zu, simply saying “Here I am, ready for you to die” before charging at his enemy. Huang Zu blocked the first hit and put some distance between them. Liu Siyuan charged at him again, hoping to stab him in the head. But to his surprise, Huang Zu jumped from his horse and landed onto him, throwing him off his horse. Thankfully, he was still young enough to recuperate quickly from that surprising attack, while the older Huang Zu took his sweet time to get up. This allowed Liu Siyuan to grab his spear. While the general tried to grab his weapon, but the scion of the Han broke it in one strike, after which he impales his enemy in the lower chest. With one swoop to the left, the stomach found itself open, with a bit of bone showing through the wound. Huang Zu fell to the ground, coughing blood.
But as Liu Siyuan was about to give the death blow, soldiers came to the defence of their commander and interposed themselves between the two men. While Liu Siyuan disposed of a few of them, it allowed other soldiers to save Huang Zu from a gruesome death. The need to help Huang Zu out of the battlefield was followed by another terrible news for the soldiers. Huang She, who was also commanding troops, had been captured by Li Tong, who had exited the city to come help Liu Siyuan in the battle. The forces of Huang Zu were forced to flee, their lord in pain but conscient enough to complain that Heaven had abandoned him. He was brought back to his domain, with plans to raise a bigger army and go avenge this defeat. Alas, it was not to be, as a month after the battle Huang Zu died of his wounds, with Yang Weili all too happy to appoint a replacement. The threat to Liu Siyuan was now no more.
News of Huang Zu’s death brought the question of what to do with his son Huang She. During his month of captivity, the man had actually suffered quite a lot. Early on, an infection to his eyes had forced the local physician to remove them in order to save his life, leaving him blind. And unlike the men of Li Tong, Huang She was not treated with respect but put in a cage like a common criminal. By the time of his father’s death, he was suffering from headaches and nauseas, clearly sick of something after weeks of bad living conditions. Some, like Jiang Gong, suggested that Liu Siyuan should show his magnanimity by having Huang She released. His father was the threat, and now that he was dead the son no longer had anything to do with this feud. But Liu Siyuan had always been a passionate man, including when it came to hatred. To the shock of much of his court, he instead had the blind man publicly executed for “acting against the interests of the Han Dynasty”. With Huang Zu’s second son having died fighting Yuan Shu’s forces in 191, the execution of Huang She put an end to the Huang Clan. The surprise of the execution (which was quite brutal) shook many of Liu Siyuan’s followers, but they rationalized it as their lord not wanting the son to take revenge for his father’s death. None of them expected this to be the start of his descent into violence, paranoia and megalomania. Oh, they had no idea…
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PS: Coming chapters
- Xiao Ru's war for Chengguo (197)
- A chapter covering the first two years of Niu Fu's time as Chancellor (196-198)
- How Yang Weili is doing as Chen Wen's successor (197-198)
- Yao Shuren vs Han Sui (197-198)
- The first year of the big war north (197-198)
- Problems Xiao Ru has to deal with (198)
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Well, look at the bright side. Most of the people who founded imperial dynasties weren't exactly "hero material" (looking at you Zhu Wen, you violent raping sociopath). I mean, even the founder of the Han Emperor Gaozu wasn't exactly clean, throwing his sons off his wagon as distraction for his escape once, and murdering everyone who ever helped him become the emperor. I actually have a hard time thinking of outright good guys who founded dynasties. So things might actually be looking up for Liu Siyuan!
Great advice. Julius Ceasar could have really used this one. Hope no one else will need it in this AAR...
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Time to watch a hero fall. He should probably get himself a concubine if his wife cannot have children. Also is Huang Zu's wife pregnant. If so his clan might have a chance.
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Sadly, the picture I had of Huang Zu being dead is actually from 199, so a year and a half after he died. So his wife is actually carrying a bastard girl from an administrator of Yang Province (he's not really relevant to the story, so he probably won't get mentionned, especially with the already bloated cast of the province). No more Huang Clan.
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197: The Provincial Capital
197: THE PROVINCIAL CAPITAL
In October 196, Liu Yi had been forced by his subordinates to surrender to Xiao Ru, allowing his enemy to take over Runan Commandery. Liu Yi was forced to sweat that he would ensure things went smoothly, even if he didn’t really want to surrender in the first place. A man of honor, the scion of the Han had no choice but to respect this pledge, even if he had done it under duress. His determination would quickly be put to the test, as Xiao Ru took a cruel pleasure in publicly humiliating his former rival. He actually demanded that Liu Yi come deliver the surrender in person and acknowledge him as his superior in everyway. Unwilling to see Xiao Ru take his anger on the people if he refused, he did as he was told. In front of the court, he publicly praised Xiao Ru and declared himself “a worthless man of worthless origins”, just for his new liege’s satisfaction. At the victory banquet, he was seated with the regular troops instead of the officers and nobles, with the soldiers treating him like dirt. But Liu Yi held on calmly and did as he was told without flinching. This resilience actually impressed Xiao Ru, who had a quick change of heart. He allowed Liu Yi to keep two counties to govern in his name, and he even appointed him as his main scholar, reasoning that a member of the Liu Clan had to have been raised by learned men. Even with this sudden showering of favors, Liu Yi would still remember the humiliation he was forced to endure.
Among the now former subordinates of Liu Yi, none had more pushed for a surrender than Lou Tiankai. An ambitious man, Lou Tiankai saw which way things were going and pressured his lord to surrender, convinced that his actions would secure him a place at Xiao Ru’s side. But he made the mistake of arrogantly demanding reward for his securing of the victory. This did not sit well with Xiao Ru, who fancied his triumph against Liu Yi as a result of his actions and decisions alone (like the one of appointing Chang Lin as his second-in-command). Having this man claim that he was responsible for ending the war was perceived as an insult. So Lou Tiankai was brushed off as an arrogant fool. The magistrate, already frustrated by this rebuttal, was doubly insulted when Liu Yi was rewarded. Lou Tiankai hoped to receive his former lord’s territories, yet here was Liu Yi not only keeping them, but gaining a place at court that should have been his.
By January 197, Lou Tiankai decided that he was sick of being ignored. If his ambitions couldn’t be achieved through Xiao Ru, then maybe he could succeed by going around him. He wrote a secret missive to the Han Court, detailing how Xiao Ru’s brutal enforcement of the law showed that he was nothing less than an evil tyrant. Surely the court could see the wisdom in appointing Lou Tiankai as the rightful administrator of Runan Commandery. He was thus hoping to take over the commandery by using the lawful channels. Surely the Imperial Court wouldn’t pass this opportunity to reaffirm their prerogative to select provincial officials. His plans, so meticulously crafted, went down in flame when his messenger was intercepted and his letter sent to Xiao Ru. The administrator of Chen, angered at this betrayal, had Lou Tiankai captured and decapitated, after which Xiao Rou claimed his county for himself. This kind of betrayal could not be tolerated.
Another twist of fate, although a welcome one, was the return of Xu Shao into Xiao Ru’s council in early 197. Xu Shao had been an appreciated advisor for the first year of Chen’s independence, and many had not taken well to his sudden fall from grace due to his lord desiring a more military focused assistant. Xu Shao had been critical of Xiao Ru’s whimsical change, which he saw as an unwise abuse of power. Xiao Ru, for his part, saw it as his right to select and remove his advisors. But with his territories now doubled, he had begun to realize that he needed his former advisor back, at least for a few months until the people of Runan got used to his harsher laws. Thankfully, the return of Xu Shao didn’t mean the departure of Chang Lin, as Xu Shao now occupied the position of head of accounting in the commandery. Xu Shao, while thankful, continued to be an annoyance by insisting that his lord couldn’t simply do as he pleased.
After half a year as the new administrator of Runan Commandery, Xiao Ru assembled his advisors to present them with a new plan of his. He rented about his past, reminding everyone of the duties given to him by the Prince of Chen before his passing and the collapse of Yu Province.
“His l-l-late em-m-min-nence-ce-ce made me the Adme-Administrator of Ch-Ch-Chen, a clear si-sign of his sup-p-p-pport at the time. His pri-pri-principality, given to me as a commandery. What a-a-a s-show of trust, but a well-pla-placed gesture. He appointed m-me as the me-man in charge of the administration of the fi-fi-financial aa-and…” He then took a pose, trying to calm himself and get his stuttering under control. “And b-bureaucratic affairs in the province, a task I fu-fulfilled with more succe-ccess th-than anyone before me. But more importantly, he app-p-p-p-pointed me st-steward of his provincial capital in his absence. Y-ye-yet, when his absence was made p-per-perma-manent, his orders were refused by trea-treasonous su-subordinates, who conspired to take Chenguo from me. It is thus m-my right, no, m-my duty, to re-retake the city.”
To make a better point, he took out a map and showed it to his subordinates. His lands encircled the former provincial capital. With the city surrounded, he believed that it was now time to return triumphant. Liu Yi, who already had issues with his new lord’s ambitions, was quick to protest. Chenguo was under the control of the Prince of Liang, Liu Mi. Liu Mi was a good administrator, well known for doing a decent job and never seeking to rise above his station. Yes, he was a bit greedy at times, but he did his job decently enough. And besides, he was a member of the Imperial Clan. By default, it meant he was the best man to lead the provincial capital. Unsurprisingly, Xiao Ru was not convinced at all by this rhetoric. He was tempted to scream “Damn the Imperial Clan! What can they do anyway?”, but feared that it would sound idiotic with his stutter.
Liu Yi’s praises of his distant cousins did nothing to outweigh the massive target that represented Chenguo. It helped that Liu Mi’s territories were a patch of disparate lands that weren’t connected in any way. For some reason, the lands held by the Prince of Liang were divided between the four corners of Yu Province. This made them quite hard to defend now that Liu Mi was and independent warlord, and more importantly for Xiao Ru, easy to invade. Liu Yi pleaded that this was not the right way to do things. Out of sympathy for the new head scholar, Xu Shao suggested that maybe it could be wise to first demand the city from Liu Mi. Seeing the prestige is regaining Chenguo through peace, Xiao Ru gave his approval, and in early June he sent a messenger to Liu Mi, asking him to give him back the provincial capital. But with no bribe accompanying the envoys, Liu Mi refused. This was ironic, as Xiao Ru had been advised against his earlier idea of sending a massive “gift” with the demand, as it was deemed unproper by his advisors.
Having reached an unnecessary impasse, Chang Lin asked to be allowed to lead troops to take Chenguo in order to reclaim the provincial capital for its rightful owner. The general had been looking at the debate over the issue from the sideline, leaving the small politicians like Liu Yi or Xu Shao doing their duties while he awaited his turn. Seeing how their way expectingly failed, Chang Lin was quick to push for war. But as loyal as he was, he first requested that his lord give the order. Liu Yi immediately tried to counter this, but was interrupted by petty officers all trying to be the one ordered to take the city. They had little chance though, as Xiao Ru decided that he needed to be the one to personally take back Chenguo, a decision mostly motivated by his own hubris. In July 197, the forces of Chen Commandery started to mobilize against Liu Mi.
Of course, while Xiao Ru wanted to return to Chenguo a triumphant liberator, he had to admit that he knew little of military affairs. So he brought his loyal favorite Chang Lin with him. Chang Lin was a far more experienced officer who could manage the war while Xiao Ru racked the glory (although Chang Lin planned to do all in his power to share that glory). But the presence of the administrator brought an unexpected problem. Xiao Ru had always been someone to enforce draconian obedience to the rules, with cruel punishment for those that disobeyed them. His management of the army camp was no different, and he insisted on total discipline. The officers had a hard time enforcing the rules with the soldiers, as they were used to the far more relaxed and benevolent attitude of Chang Lin. As they approached Chenguo, a few dozen soldiers had enough and refused to obey their officer, actually killing him in a moment of rage. Realizing that they were in big trouble, the mutineers tried to flee the camp, but they were apprehended. Xiao Ru ordered that those who survived the six hundred lashes were to be used as target practice. With real arrows of course.
Chunyu Shenxi listened to the reports of the approaching army with worries. An administrator of good renown, he had been appointed as the magistrate of Chenguo by Liu Mi after Xiao Ru was forced to vacate the city. He had been kind and fair in his application of the law, and had garnered a good reputation among the local population. With Liu Mi far away, Chunyu Shenxi had also enjoyed quite a bit of freedom in the provincial capital, and he had come to fancy his position as the city’s magistrate. But Xiao Ru’s expansion put everything at risk. He now surrendered the provincial capital, with plans to retake it by force. The people might get slaughtered in some bloody siege, and that eventuality did not bode well for him. When the armies of Chen appeared on the horizon, Chunyu Shenxi did the only thing he could to save the city: he defected and opened the gates to his new lord. The magistrate awaited Xiao Ru in his mansion, where he welcomed him as a great man and offered his services to the administrator. Seeing how the man had done a decent job with the city in his absence, Xiao Ru allowed Chunyu to administrate the city in his name, although he expected it to be only temporary.
Xiao Ru thus settled in Chenguo with Chang Lin, happy to have retaken the city without a fight. While the crowd was apprehensive of his return, they were quickly won over by the coins Xiao Ru threw in events and celebrations for them. He had learned his mistakes from his previous time in the city, recognizing that the populace would probably be more tolerant of his harsh laws if he was to dangle the carrot before using the stick. The army also camped outside the city, as to not become a problem to the local residents. Things seemed to be going great until he received news in late August 197 from his other army. The troops he had left to go attack Liu Mi directly, led by a few lesser subordinates, had been defeated at Laixang. They were actually on their way to Chenguo as they fled the battlefield. Unwilling to leave this defeat alone, Xiao Ru quickly ordered Chang Lin to link up with the retreating army and tell them to turn back. Chang Lin wisely asked to bring their own troops with him, which he was allowed to do. As long as he could avenge this defeat, Xiao Ru was willing to give him quite the leeway.
Meanwhile, Xu Shao had been left in charge of Chen Commandery as his lord marched to Chenguo. But he found himself continuously stressed out by his lord’s wife, Lady Xia. The two never got along, so the fact that Xiao Ru had given her back some power despite his protests was not appreciated. He also became quite suspicious of the lady. As he continuously checked the accounts, he began to notice discrepancies in the numbers. He became convinced that Lady Xia was skimming money on the side. While she continued to deny it, Xu Shao still suspected her of stealing their lord’s coffers for herself, something that seemed evident due to the high-quality jewels and dresses she suddenly acquired out of nowhere.
Xu Shao finally got her when a maid, tired of how badly she was treated by Lady Xia, spilled everything. Finding herself cornered, she argued that she had the right to do so because she was the wife of the Administrator, and that rules didn’t apply to her. Both quickly wrote letters to Xiao Ru, explaining him the situation and forcing him to return in November. Upon arrival, Lady Xia rushed to her husband, trying to explain herself. But Xiao Ru simply slapped her and ordered guards to confine his wife to her quarters. He had all her wealth sold off, and from that point on would review all the goods in her possessions personally, not trusting her to only buy what she needed. Needless to say, he didn’t appreciate his wife stealing his gold.
Chang Lin finally fought the enemy force in December. Liu Mi, who was leading from the rear, offered Chang Lin a chance to surrender, as he had the numerical advantage. The general simply laughed and answered: “Dare Prince of Liang, how should I react to your offer? With pity that you believe it could be accepted, or with disdain for the insult you made me?” Seeing it was going nowhere, Liu Mi returned to his army and prepared for the battle. What he didn’t prepare for was an utter defeat at the hand of the one-eyed general. Demoralized and fleeing, Liu Mi was alerted to a messenger from Chang Lin. Hesitant at first, the Prince of Liang eventually allowed him to come in. The messenger offered friendship from Chang Lin, now that they had fought on the battlefield. Liu Mi, surprised, accepted this sudden friendship. The messenger said: “General Chang then hope that his friend the Prince of Liang shall quit while he still can. A wise man like him should see that he doesn’t need the provincial capital to be respected and beloved.” Liu Mi got the message, with the envoy returning to Chang Lin with news that Liu Mi was recognizing Xiao Ru’s rightful claim on Chenguo. And just like that, the Administrator of Chen had regained the center of the province.
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PS: I added it after posting on the last chapter, but for those that missed it here is what is to be expected for 198.
- A chapter covering the first two years of Niu Fu's time as Chancellor (196-198)
- How Yang Weili is doing as Chen Wen's successor (197-198)
- Yao Shuren vs Han Sui (197-198)
- The first year of the big war north (197-198)
- Problems Xiao Ru has to deal with (198)
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Who are you playing as now.
I would love to see how Xia Ru seduces with that stutter
I would love to see how Xia Ru seduces with that stutter
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