The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Zamarak500]

198-200: THE DYNASTY ON THE OFFENSIVE​

The tensions within the Imperial Capital had been a problem ever since Niu Fu reluctantly took over as Chancellor. If he had hoped that his presence would help bring peace back to the court, then he was soundly disillusioned after two years at the helms. In fact, his early dreams of paving the way for the return of imperial powers were pushed back out of fear that the Wang Clan would come to simply dominate the young Emperor. This had forced him to continue to act with greater authority, only to have the young Emperor start to turn against him. Seeing how many enemies the Han had from within shocked Niu Fu to the core. And to make things more difficult, his only allies kept trying to push him into assuming more powers. He feared what they would do if he gave them any authority. And besides, giving power to their friend was what tyrants did. So he voluntarily weakened himself out of principles, which did nothing to help his situation. After all that, is it such wonders that the Chancellor was falling down the path of depression?

But even with his current disposition, his allies did their best to help him in his duties, no matter how frustrating it was to see him refuse the opportunities offered to him. Niu Fu appreciated this help, as it showed that these men were willing to put their ambitions aside to assist him in saving the Han. He had never been a good administrator himself, so having these men that he could rely on certainly helped him. So he was greatly distraught when he learned of Chen Xia’s death. Chen Xia had been the head of the Imperial Academy for years and a key supporter of Niu Fu ever since his hesitant rise to power. Alongside Shisun Rui, they had helped steer the imperial bureaucracy into the right direction while Niu Fu tried to stabilize the Capital. Having already been forced to remove Shisun Rui, the death of Chen Xia made Niu Fu’s position tenuous at best.

When it came to appointing a new top scholar, many choices presented themselves. Some wanted one of the more experienced scholars to have the job, but the Emperor didn’t want to appoint some old incompetent men. So even if these great men had spent their careers waiting for this, Niu Fu followed the Emperor’s wishes and passed them over for a younger candidate. The famous scholar Pan Zheng was considered as a potential candidate, as Chen Xia had talked highly of him when he served in the academy. However, Pan Zheng had just been transferred to the Censorate Bureau, so bringing right back to the Academy seemed contradictory. Instead, a young scholar named Wang Man (no relation to the Wang Clan) was able to show his talent and use connections at court to get the status of Chief Scholar. Unlike Chen Xia, Wang Man was a self-serving young man who had little loyalty for anyone. At first, he thought of aligning himself with Niu Fu, but once he realized that the Chancellor’s influence was in decline, he revised his plans and entered in contact with the Wang Clan.

With things starting to deteriorate for him at court, Niu Fu decided to focus on a project that had been dear to his heart for a long time: the reunification of the Han Dynasty. To do this, he would need to expand and lead campaigns, something he was far better at than managing court intrigues. In May 198, he asked permission from the Emperor to plan a war to retake Imperial territories. The Son of Heaven was obviously ecstatic at the idea of the Dynasty regaining its lands from the rebels and warlords, an opinion shared by many at court. The only ones who were a bit more timid about this were the Wangs and their allies. Wang Hong in particular feared that all their efforts would be for nothing if Niu Fu returned from the war a victorious hero. But as the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies, he would endanger his position by opposing the campaign, and so supported Niu Fu. He went so far as to push his family to do the same, and promised full cooperation with the Chancellor to ensure the success of the war.

Niu Fu already had a target in mind when he suggested the campaign. The easier place to start was east, where the collapse of Yu and Yan Provinces left the regions disorganized and under the control of feuding (and weaker) warlords. This seemed like a good region to go on the offensive, starting with the neighboring Xuchang city. Xuchang and its county were controlled by the Prince of Liang, Liu Mi. Liu Mi’s territories were widely spread and difficult to defend, which made him a prime target for expansion. This had been proven when he lost the former provincial capital of Yu province the previous year after a short conflict with the warlord Xiao Ru. Niu Fu started moving troops on the eastern border as soon as he had the Emperor’s approval, leaving to go supervise the preparations himself. In a show of decency (or stupidity), Niu Fu sent a letter to Liu Mi asking him to surrender Xuchang peacefully, citing his duties to the Emperor and the Dynasty. Liu Mi, feeling a lot more brace than he should be, refused outright to surrender it. These were part of his domain, a domain he had inherited from the previous generations. In early August 198, Niu Fu went on the offensive against the Prince of Liang.

While the Chancellor intended to lead the war personally, that didn’t mean he was going alone. As always, Niu Fu took with him Xu Rong, the former Dong Zhuo general who had survived multiple regime changes by now. He had proven loyal to Niu Fu, if a bit insistent that he take power for himself. This was not surprising, as the general had previously served men of less than noble characters. Never the less, Niu Fu knew that he could count on Xu Rong, as the man was both an excellent military commander and a man of honor. Before the campaign, he had him swear that he would never march his troops against the Imperial Capital. Xu Rong felt a bit offended that Niu Fu could suggest such a thing, but never the less swore to uphold this promise. Satisfied, Niu Fu appointed him as his second-in-command. But of course, Wang Hong and the Wang Clan wouldn’t just let the Chancellor leave like that. Using the excuse that they couldn’t fully trust Xu Rong due to his previous loyalties, they managed to have an old officer promoted to serve on the campaign. The old Zhang Ji was actually quite respected within the military for his talent and his care for his duties, so Niu Fu welcomed the appointment with open hands.

The absence of Niu Fu and his allies in the military proved a perfect opportunity for the Wang Clan to act. The first among their allies to do so was none other than Jiang Xian, the tall official who had once played a key role in the assassination of Dong Zhuo. Using his position as Chief of the Censorate and Minister of the Imperial Household, he decided to move against the officials that were perceived as too loyal to the Chancellor. Launching false accusations against them, he left the task to investigate this to the recently appointed censor Pan Zheng, hoping that he would convict the “guilty” and be done with it. This backfired spectacularly, as Pan Zheng did a far more thorough job than anyone expected, debunking the false accusation and instead leading the arrest of many Wang Clan supporters. While Jiang Xian tried to stop the young censor, Pan Zheng remained stubbornly aggressive in his inquiries, hoping to purge court of as much corrupt officials as possible.

This drove a small wedge between Jiang Xian and the Wang clansmen, who were incensed that he had accidentally endangered their position without even consulting them. Wang Mao arrogantly asked Jiang Xian “We welcomed you within our Clan because you could serve us well, so why do you act as if you were our equal?” While the giant excused himself and showed signs that he would reconcile himself with his in-laws in public, in private he started to suspect that they would leave him to hang the first chance that they got. Still, better to have his wife Diaochan pacify the complains of her relatives. Although they were a bit hesitant to listen to her at first, as they looked at her with disdain due to being adopted in the family, she was able to charm them and convince them that her husband was doing his best to help the Wang Clan. Jiang Xian could only bless the Heavens for giving him such a lovely and loyal wife.

Jiang Xian, in an effort to fix the mistake he had accidentally done, tried to reshuffle the whole Censorate to promote more loyal men. No longer did he want someone like Pan Zheng to get in the way of his plans. He wanted to do this slowly and softly, so that no one at court could really see what was truly going on until it was far too late. But Wang Mao came in and insisted that Jiang Xian deal with the situation as fast as possible, with the Wang Clan pressuring him into a quick reshuffle of the Censorate Bureau. This forced him to act far faster than he had originally planned, and with far less care. Because of this, his efforts to turn the Censorate into his loyal organization were easily noticed by officials unsympathetic to his cause, notably Pan Zheng. He might have acted against Jiang Xian, but news from Yi Province convinced him to leave the Capital behind and return home in November 198. He did write a letter to the Chancellor before he left, though.

Niu Fu had hoped that leading the campaign (which was turning into a series of sieges as Liu Mi refused to fight him) would help cheer him up, but the growing number of missives from the Capital only made him more stressed. News from what Jiang Xian was doing finally convinced him in January 199 that he had to leave and come back to the Imperial Capital to oversee things himself. Clearly, it seemed like Chang Xia (his assistant who was also in charge of the easter capital of Chang’an), was unable to handle state affairs in his absence. He prepared things for his departure from the frontline to make sure that the war went smoothly in his absence. He wished to leave Xu Rong in charge, but while the man was popular with the rank and-file, the officers were far less keen on that former enemy. So instead, he left the more respectable Zhang Ji in charge, knowing that the old man would do a good job. Xu Rong was frustrated by this, as he felt he should have the task of leading the troops, but could do little about it.

Niu Fu returned to the capital in February and was quick to make his presence felt. Chang Xia had clearly proved unable to handle the issues, so Niu Fu had to clean house a bit. However, his early frustration calmed down, and he realized that doing too much might seem tyrannical. So instead of purging the whole Censorate of its dubious elements like he had originally planned to, he simply fired the most obvious symptom of the disease: Jiang Xian. The tall official lost his position of Chief Censor, having clearly showed that he was using it to his advantage. His abuses were big enough that even Niu Fu felt like he had to act. At this news, Jiang Xian felt doubly angered. Niu Fu had fired him from such an influential position, yes, but that might not have happened if the Wang Clan hadn’t pushed him to make mistakes. To replace him, Niu Fu named an older official whose main merit was that he was the father of the Governor of Jiaozhi Province. The Chancellor thus hoped to bring the province back in the imperial orbit with this appointment, although he would be left completely disappointed on that front.

However, Niu Fu made the fateful decision not to remove Jiang Xian as Minister of the Imperial Household, allowing the official to keep his close access to the palace, which in term allowed him to have the Emperor’s ear. This was done after Niu Fu consulted Emperor Xian and his staff on Jiang Xian’s performance in his duties, wondering if the abuses of powers were restrained to the Censorate. But through manipulation and bribes, Jiang Xian had covered his tracks and kept a clean record in his duties as Minister, receiving glowing praises from the servants and imperial attendants. The Emperor himself spoke highly of Jiang Xian and forbid Niu Fu from continuing any prosecution against one of his favorites. To the Son of Heaven, Jiang Xian was still this official who had sneaked into the palace years ago to make him sign the edict against Dong Zhuo, thus saving him from this brute. He saw in the tall man his best hope of ever regaining his full power and removing Niu Fu, and he would be damned if he lost that support. Unwilling to oppose the Emperor, Niu Fu dropped the whole affair, which meant that Jiang Xian kept most of his supporters within the Censorate and the Imperial Palace.

With the war going well, the court started to debate the issue of Sun Jian. The general had been expanding his territories on the southern border and was embroiled in a conflict with his former lord Yuan Shu. Some wanted military actions to be taken to help Sun Jian, especially among those that supported Empress Sun. The young empress was now considered an adult, but her attempts at establishing a prestigious court had so far failed. Her lack of care for her appearance had started to be humiliating, while her greed and kindness were often exploited by individuals of lesser morality. Even Jiang Xian had started to be disgusted by this, all while the Wang Clan had exploited the new empress’s weaknesses to their advantages. Jiang Xian also feared that Sun Jian might just take over the Capital if he was allowed to act freely. To stop this, he used every influence he had to convince Niu Fu that helping Sun Jian was a bad idea. The Chancellor, already hesitant over the issue, was swayed in the “right” direction and refused to help the Emperor’s father-in-law, another move that undermined him in the eyes of the Son of Heaven.

For the rest of 199, Niu Fu had to counter the many plots of the Wang Clan, which proved surprisingly easy to oppose. This was in part due to Jiang Xian, who was starting to distance himself from his unreliable in-laws. In order to gain more personal influence at court, he silently undermined their own positions my sabotaging their efforts. This was helped by the fact that both Wang Hong, the Grand Commandant and head of the Clan, and Wang Chen, the Excellency of Work, started spending more and more time in their respective commanderies, plotting from there to stay out of Niu Fu’s reach. This leaved only Wang Mao, who had such a low opinion of Jiang Xian that he didn’t notice how the giant is zapping his own authority from under him. Wang Chen, who was attempting to introduce Taoism as the main court philosophy (as opposed to the favored teachings of Confucianism), didn’t help their case either.

While the Wang Clan’s influence was starting to wane at court, Jiang Xian made sure that his support did not dip with them. Most notably, he made an ally of the young and ambitious Head Scholar Wang Man. Wang Man had spent most of 198 and early 199 aligned with the Wang Clan, but seeing how their fortune had turned around after a few blunders, he started to seek other opportunities. Jiang Xian still had lot influence in the Censorate and at court, even after his punishment, so he was able to convince Wang Man that he was a strategic alliance would be beneficial for the both of them. But more importantly than anything, Jiang Xian had access to the Emperor. The Wang Clan didn’t have that power, and Niu Fu did his best not to exploit it. This meant that Jiang Xian could easily whisper whatever he wanted in the Emperor’s ear, including promising him that he would help him finally regain control over his own empire. And just like that, Jiang Xian was slowly becoming the most influential player at court.

News from the frontline pleased Niu Fu, who had once again started to fall back into depression due to court affairs. Zhang Ji and Xu Rong had been doing a great job over the year, although the later was complaining at the lack of battles. It turned out that Liu Mi had refused to engage the Imperial Army as he was being attacked by other warlords, who hoped to use the imperial campaign to their advantage. By January 200, Liu Mi finally yielded Xuchang, fearing that the imperial force might march all the way to his seat of power. The fact that they had won territories without a fight was great news for Niu Fu, who considered continuing the campaign east. But the Wang Clan insisted that the army had to celebrate this victory with a glorious parade in the capital (as they didn’t want Niu Fu to achieve more victories at their expense). The Emperor also agreed, jealous of his Chancellor’s successes. So the Imperial Army returned home, welcomed as heroes for helping reunify the Empire. Little did anyone expect that this victory would be followed by the collapse of Han controlled territories, all by the end of the year.

 

[Midnite Duke]

The Chinese court is more Byzantine than Byzantium!

 

[Zamarak500]

199-200: BACK TO YI PROVINCE​

Pan Zheng was unsure how things would be once he returned home. He had first been banished from the provincial capital by his father and had been on bad terms with the then Governor Liu Yan. And that said nothing of the older officials who had never been keen on his rise within the provincial court. So how would they react when he returned as a famous scholar and a man who had received praises from the Son of Heaven himself? His voyages hadn’t exactly helped him gain much trust in others either, as most of the lords he served had been petty, angry or simply trying to use him to their ends. He couldn’t stop himself from suspecting the worst when he passed through the territories of Yang Weili to go from Han lands to Yi Province. Seeing how the lands he came through were in full revolt against their lords, he feared what violence might be awaiting him when he arrived in his province.

His fears seemed to be confirmed when he found a welcoming committee on the other side of the border. It was a small force, led by the general Huang Quan. As the Administrator of Guanghan Commandery, Huang Quan was in charge of defending the northern border. He was only a magistrate and a protégé of the Commandant Wu Mengjie when Pan Zheng had last seen him. At the time, Huang Quan was helping his mentor put down barbarian revolts. The scholar wondered when he had been promoted. When he saw the soldiers awaiting his arrival, he stopped, waiting for Huang Quan to make the first move. The general was quick to come face to face, but before he could say a word, Pan Zheng cut him off with a question.

“Are you here to dispose of me, to betray what trust I had in my home?” he asked dryly.

“You seem to misunderstand the situation.” Huang Quan tried to explain.

“Really? How should I feel when I am welcomed by armed men in full armor?”

“The Governor simply asked us to escort you directly to the provincial capital.” the general explained. “With the civil war going on within our neighbors, we can never be too sure about your safety.”

The scholar hesitated, but then again, it wasn’t like he could outrun these troops if he ran, especially with his companions by his side. Feeling trapped, Pan Zheng, his family and his friends followed the escort back to the provincial capital. As it turned out, he had little to worry about, as the Governor simply wanted to meet him in person. In fact, he would probably have gone wait for Pan Zheng himself had he not been recuperating from a wound. To ensure his safety, Liu Fan had sent his most loyal general to escort Pan Zheng to him, although he now felt pretty insulted that the scholar thought this was some sort of trap. No, what he wanted was to meet this famous scholar. While many of the Governor’s advisors had nothing good to say about the blunt upstart, he seemed to have garnered a great reputation throughout the Han Dynasty. Liu Fan thus wanted to meet him in person to make sure that he was as good as rumors said.

The Governor was indeed impressed by the young man. When presented at court, Pan Zheng ignored almost everyone to go meet the Governor as fast as possible, either not caring or unaware of the other officials trying to get his attention. Liu Fan made him wait for a long time, just to test his resolves (and at the suggestion of his advisors, who wanted to humiliate Pan Zheng). The scholar waited for two hours without speaking to anyone, stubbornly turning around when someone tried to approach him for small talk. When Liu Fan finally welcomed him, Pan Zheng proved quick to express his desire to simply go deal with his father’s affairs and prepare the funerary rites. Touched by the filial piety of Pan Zheng (which was mostly an excuse to leave and go take his post), Liu Fan sped through the appointment process and confirmed the scholar as the new Administrator of Yizhou Commandery.

While Liu Fan was satisfied with Pan Zheng and happy to have such a subordinate at his disposal, not everyone shared his enthusiasm. Probably the man least happy with Pan Zheng’s return was the old He Xiaolong, who was the chief administrative advisor of Yi Province. He had never liked the scholar, feeling that he lacked humility and respect for his elders. He had certainly been happy to see him leave the province for good, and was still opposed to his return, afraid that he might undermine his authority. Had this happened a year before, things might have gone his way. While Liu Fan had heavily depended on He Xiaolong at first, he was now becoming his own man, to the old official’s horror. Liu Fan was starting to rely more and more on the generals and military staff, which He Xiaolong saw as a mistake. A province was first and foremost the purview of administrators and bureaucrats, and He Xiaolong needed to make sure that it stayed that way.

But what could he do when the military officers were now part of the Governor’s inner circle? This became obvious when shortly after the return of Pan Zheng, the Commandant Wu Mengjie was able to get a position on the Governor’s council for one of his protégés, Gao Rou. Like Huang Quan, Gao Rou had served in the campaigns against the barbarians in the mid-190’s, coming out of it with a stellar reputation. And just like Pan Zheng, the officer had managed to inherit his current Shu Commandery from his father. Protecting the lands around the provincial capital, Gao Rou was still hoping for a more important task, and petitioned Wu Mengjie to help him in achieving a more deserving station. So the Commandant was able to have Gao Rou appointed as the assistant of the Governor, making one of the most influential figures in the provincial capital. He Xiaolong wasn’t keen on this, but obeyed his lord, not wishing to offend him or destroy the alliance he had with Wu Mengjie. At least for now.

Pan Zheng found a big surprise waiting for him when he arrived in his new commandery. He found his father’s widow (a woman named Lingxuan) awaiting him in the house. He felt a bit awkward at the sight of the baby she was carrying, unsure how to feel at the idea of having another sibling. Meanwhile, the woman was clearly anxious in his presence, fearing what he might do to her child. After all, what she heard of her son-in-law were not positive praises, but criticisms of a man who did not care for others. The scholar mostly ignored them while he focused on preparing the proper funerary arrangements for his father, and then proceeded to see what his commandery was like. It was a bad surprise for him to discover that it was full of barbarians, and that he in fact had few Han Chinese to call upon his service. Lingxuan also kept harassing him in order to discuss her position under him, pushing to have some authority within the household. But he wanted nothing to hear from his sister’s mother, who was after all younger than he was. If it wasn’t for his wife Feng Xia trying to play negotiator between them, the two might never have been willing to tolerate one another due to how stubborn they were.

By August, Liu Fan assembled his advisors to discuss what was to be done about the situation in their neighbor’s territories. Yang Weili was fighting a large civil war that left him completely occupied, which meant that he would probably be unable to act if they were to invade some of his western territories. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that there was an opportunity to exploit here, and Wu Mengjie suggested that they launched an attack this instant. Liu Fan was happy with his enthusiasm and agreed, although there was still the question of who they would attack: the rebels or the loyalists. In order to not damage their relationship with Yang Weili too much should he win; it was decided that an attack against the rebels would be a safer bet politically. Liu Fan ordered Huang Quan, his most loyal general, to go lead an army in their new invasion.

Still, He Xialong and Wu Mengjie agreed that this might not be enough. To ensure a bright future for Yi Province, they needed to truly destabilize Yang Weili’s domain, or maybe even break it apart. To achieve this goal, the older official contacted his brother He Shimin, who just happened to serve under Administrator Chen Gengguo of Lingling Commandery. Chen Gengguo had not taken any side, although many in Jing Province were trying to push him to revolt and take over the province, as he claimed to be related to the late Chen Wen. This was certainly something that the officials of Yi Province could use. He Shimin started to pressure his lord, telling him that he should really reclaim what was rightfully his. But once again, Chen Gengguo chose patience, even if he let it be known that he would never criticize anyone for acting in the best interest of their beloved province. Some started to interpret it as a sign of support for their plot, although Chen Gengguo was probably just being literal.

Liu Fan, happy that he was expanding his territories, now wished to bring Pan Zheng into his confidence. Before He Xiaolong could voice his opposition at the idea, Liu Fan ordered Pan Zheng to come serve as the Chief Censor of Yi Province, his previous tenure within the Imperial Censorate Bureau being proof enough of his credentials. Pan Zheng refused at first, as he was planning with Zhuge Liang for a way to get rid of all those pesky barbarian chieftains in his commandery. Chief among those was the annoying Meng Huo, son of the Meng Shamoke who had led a first barbarian revolt earlier that decade. But the Governor insisted, and he sent envoys to force the position on the scholar, whenever he wanted it or not. After extracting the right to perform his duties from home until he dealt with his local problems, Pan Zheng grudgingly relented in late 199.

A barbarian revolt finally erupted in January 200, although ironically this one had nothing to do with Pan Zheng’s anti barbarian actions (those had sparked a revolt from Meng Huo around the same time). This barbarian revolt hoped to take advantage of all the wars in the south to reclaim their own tribe lands, freeing it of Chinese influence. Of course, Liu Fan was not going to let that happen. He first wished to go deal with it himself, but his wound was still a problem and he was advised to focus on recuperating. This left him with no choice but to send his Commandant Wu Mengjie (the other option, Guo Rou, had just been sent to reinforce Huang Quan’s army). The Commandant was experienced in fighting barbarians by now, which left him pretty confident in his chances of success. Taking only a few hundred men with him, he swore that he would return victorious with the head of the rebel leaders.

When he left to deal with the revolt, it would be the last time that the Commandant saw his lord. Shortly before he engaged the barbarians in April 200, a messenger arrived in panic. Liu Fan had died of his wound at the age of 41, leaving the province to his only son Liu Jishan, who was only two years old. He Xiaolong, being the only influential man in the provincial capital when Liu Fan died, acted quickly. Once again, he seized the death of the previous governor as an opportunity to affirm his authority over the new one. He was quickly declared regent of the toddler by the court officials, who were all too happy to entrust this responsibility to him. He Xiaolong’s first move was to quickly remove Pan Zheng as Chief Censor, replacing him with a more “respectable” choice. This put everyone on edge, and the various generals stopped their respective advances, unsure how to respond and fearing for their own positions. But any worries about this unexpected change were pushed aside when news came from their barbarian tributaries. The Imperial Army was marching toward them, and they were approaching fast.

_____________
PS: Follow up chapters. 201 is quite the packed year.

• Niu Fu's campaign to make Xiaban tributary, which makes him fight Yi Province (200)
• Second part of Yuan Shu's invasion of Yingchuan (198-200)
• Pan Zheng’s war with Meng Huo (200-201)
• First part of Gongsun Zan’s second big war (200-201)
• Xiao Ru war for Pei Commandery (201)
• Yang Weili’s civil war continues (200-201)
• Liu Siyuan chapter (198-201)
• Big news from the Imperial Capital (201)
• Yuan Shu attacked by Chang Lin (200-201)

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank you for updating. That Cabinet! Just switching people to proper positions would be a major improvment.

 

[JSB217118]

Things are getting interesting in Yi.

 

[Zamarak500]

Thank you for updating. That Cabinet! Just switching people to proper positions would be a major improvment.

Yeah, the AI does weird Councils at time, only focusing on putting powerful people in office without care for their actual talents.

Things are getting interesting in Yi.

I agree. Yi Province kinda got the short end of it during the 190's, but they get increasingly more interesting and relevant to the story from the return of Pan Zheng onward.

PS: Is it me or they changed the forum's appearance again?

 

[Midnite Duke]

Slight change to appearance. Biggest change for me was removing people's home countries. I would love age range and home country for commenters.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Happy 1st Birthday to the Lords of Han!

 

[Zamarak500]

200: ONE LAST RIDE​

While they all celebrated the recent victory, Niu Fu was already startng to plan for a potential next campaign. He didn’t feel like he had any reason to celebrate. While the men drank and the court feasted, he only felt disappointed and restless. He loved commanding troops to serve the Son of Heaven, yet he was forced to sit here and worry about all those enemies plotting against the Dynasty out of selfish ambition. Although he tried his best to keep the court orderly, even he could see that he was failing on that front. His only way to help the Dynasty was to reclaim its lost territories. Yet here he was, serving as Chancellor instead of commanding as a general, doing so only because he feared who would replace him if he was to leave the office vacant. How could he not despair?

His grim mood didn’t stop others from celebrating the recent victory. Soldiers feasted with the citizens in the streets as they brought back loot from the campaign. Officers received praises from the Imperial Court and the Emperor himself went to the imperial tomb of his predecessors, praying and telling them: “The dark fate that has befell our Dynasty will be undone. I promise that I will bring pride back to the Liu Clan, esteemed ancestors.” The celebration at court, which took place in late January, saw everyone of importance attending, from the officers who had fought on the campaign to the Wang clansmen wishing to salvage something out of it. The Son of Heaven was of course seated at the center of all this, although to his annoyance he was not the center of attention. No, most people wanted a word with the Chancellor, who even in his bad mood couldn’t refuse such invitation. They kept asking him about his plans from now on, how he thought things would unfold, and how he planned this successful campaign. As always, he proved humble in his answers. But when Jiang Xian asked him “are you satisfied with your success?”, Niu Fu answered with a sharp thong:

“How can I be satisfied? Rebels still rule the land while disloyal officers act like they hold the Mandate of Heaven. This victory, while well deserved, did not end the chaos that threatens the Han. Yet you all act as if the danger has passed. We should be marching once again against our enemies, not rest and feast. Our loyalty will only be shown by reunifying the Dynasty, and I wish I could go back to that task this instant.”

This downed the mood of the banquet quite a bit, but it also pushed many into considering Niu Fu’s words. The Emperor certainly started to be more open to the idea of continued expansion, even if he didn’t like how popular it was making his Chancellor. Officers certainly wished to continue fighting with their great commander, who had secured their first great victory in the last five years. Even some within the Wang Clan were starting to get behind the idea of supporting such campaign, if only to steal some of Niu Fu’s thunder. Wang Hong even had the vein hope of taking command of a new campaign instead of Niu Fu. After all, he was the Grand Commandant, wasn’t he? But the fact was that he obtained the position due to politicking instead of getting it through talent, with most of the officers preferring to obey Niu Fu over him. Xu Rong even boasted that “I would resign before I obeyed one order from that imbecile!”

Traction around a new campaign quickly started to pick up. Surprisingly, one of the main agitators toward that goal was the young Empress Sun, although she had personal motives behind her support. She hoped to push for an imperial intervention to go help her father Sun Jian in his struggle with Yuan Shu. This ruffled both her husband and his closest confident, the Minister of the Imperial Household. The Emperor didn’t like how his wife was attempting to get involve in imperial politics. He already had a hard time doing so himself and didn’t want to have his wife to worry about. As for Jiang Xian, he opposed the idea bringing Sun Jian closer to the Imperial Court. He didn’t want some strongman to wrestle power away from everyone else. Dealing with Niu Fu while the Wangs were still around was already difficult. Adding Sun Jian would make everything a mess. And besides, Sun Jian was currently losing thanks to the scholar Feng Zian. In order to avoid more problem, Jiang Xian shut down the idea and made a note to find a way to neutralize this bothersome Empress.

While he was searching for a possible enemy to attack, Niu Fu also had to deal with a problematic official. Head Scholar Wang Man’s loyalty had proven fickle ever since he had been appointed to the position. First trying to align himself with Niu Fu, he then moved to the Wang Clan, then supported Jiang Xian’s before his current attempt to return into the good graces of the Chancellor, now that he was a victorious war hero. But by February the scholar had lost any good will he had with the various factions at court. The Wang Clan and Jiang Xian wanted him out due to his betrayal, while Niu Fu had always wished for a more experienced scholar to have his position. Jiang Xian thus came to the Chancellor, suggesting to appoint Wang Man to the recently vacated position of Magistrate of Xuchang. The tall official was easily able to convince court, and soon enough Wang Man was removed and sent to his new post. And this time, the new head scholar was an older and more experienced man, just as Niu Fu wanted in the first place.

In the end, the target for the next campaign decided to show itself on its own initiative. The Di barbarian tribe led by the leader Li Doumao had been greatly weakened over the years, first by their war with Yuan Shu and then due to the tribute they owed Yi Province. Seeking resources and wealth, and believing the imperial forces distracted and disorganized, they had spent the first months of 200 raiding the imperial territories on the other side of the border. This gave Niu Fu the perfect target to go against, a war to protect the Han Dynasty from its enemies. Considering that this situation needed an immediate response, the Chancellor had little difficulty convincing court of the necessity of a new campaign. Some argued that since these were tributaries of Yi Province, it would mean a conflict with imperial relatives. To this, Niu Fu retorted that these were imperial tributaries, and that the provinces shouldn’t get entangled in imperial affairs. He made a war plan with the help of Xu Rong and the other generals, leaving the capital in April 200 after he sent a messenger to warn the barbarians that he was coming.

Obviously, this news made the barbarians panic, and they quickly contacted their overlords in Yi Province. The issue was that the Governor had died just as the province was facing multiple conflicts, with his toddler son clearly too young to manage this new issue. Instead, this fell onto the laps of the regent He Xiaolong, who had already started a controversial regency by removing Pan Zheng from his office. Now he had to decide what to do with this new war, if it was worth to spend resources helping their tributaries. Generals like Hu Quan and Gao Rou, who were on the northern frontline invading Yang rebels, were all for it, as they were right next to the Di tribe. But He Xiaolong believed that with the recent powershift in the province and conflicts already underway, it was safer not to intervene. While He Xiaolong sent a strong worded letter to the Chancellor warning him to stop, he effectively stayed out of it, which greatly hindered hiss popularity among the province’s military.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xian started plotting once again the minute Niu Fu and his troops left the Luoyang. While his influence within the Censorate and the Imperial Palace had grown significantly over the recent months, he still felt that it was safer to keep the appearance of being an ally of the Wang Clan. He quickly had a meeting with Wang Hong to discuss what to do next. While Wang Hong at first suggested that they stay in the capital, Jiang Xian instead suggested that he and Wang Chen returned to their commanderies. Who knew what Niu Fu would do when he returned victorious? Maybe he would march on the capital and have them all removed by force. And it wasn’t like they could trust Luoyang’s garrison, considering how it had betrayed Dong Huang for Duan Wei half a decade before. Seeing the wisdom in his argument, the main Wang clansmen left to prepare for what they believed would be a confrontation with Niu Fu. Only the old Wang Mao stayed, but he was too arrogant to realize that they were all being played.

The campaign started on a bad foot for Niu Fu, as the army camps became ridden by Camp Fever due to bad hygiene. This led to many deaths among the troops, with some officers also contracting the disease. Sadly, this included one of the Chancellor’s most ardent supporters. In late May 200, only a month in the campaign, General Xu Rong died at the age of 38. The former officer of Dong Zhuo had survived a lot of regime changes, even switching side from Lü Bu to Dong Huang due to the machinations of Xuan Su. Since rejoining imperial service, Xu Rong and Niu Fu had developed a great amount of respect for each other. On his deathbed, the general once again pleaded his lord to turn his army around and seize power in the capital to remove all the corrupt enemies that worked against him. Always the loyal servant of the Dynasty, Niu Fu declined this last request, refusing to become a tyrant, even to save the Han.

Meanwhile, the Emperor had gotten more and more fed up with his wife. While he was all too happy with the young empress at first, Empress Sun had proven greedy and a bit too kind to those he disliked, including the Chancellor. Her insistence that the Imperial Court send help to her father also started to get on everyone’s nerves. The Son of Heaven confided in Jiang Xian, telling him about his annoyance and his problems. To this, the Minister of the Imperial Household was quick to push his monarch to divorce his wife. After all, their union had been done to ensure an alliance with Sun Jian, who was now useless to them due to his dire situation. Jiang Xian also played on the Emperor’s fears of ridicule, asking him what the court would think if he didn’t control his own family matters.

The official even had a replacement ready in the person of Concubine Duan. Duan Nuwang was the daughter of a countryside official of little importance. She had no connection at court, no talent for political affairs, and really only got into the Imperial Harem because she was pretty. In other words, the perfect puppet for Jiang Xian. The Emperor was at first hesitant, but in August finally decided to assert his authority and remove his Empress, instead promoting Concubine Duan to the now vacant position. The members of the Wang Clan, who had not been aware of Jiang Xian’s plan, sent him panicked letters when they learned of the whole affair. What in Heavens was he doing, organizing an imperial divorce? But Jiang Xian was able to calm them all, telling them that the new Empress would be far less supportive of Niu Fu, which might help them finally remove him from power. Wang Mao, who still resided in Luoyang, was convinced, while the rest of the Wang Clan could do little from their provincial bases other than hope that Jiang Xian was sincere.

Niu Fu had little time to wonder on the Emperor’s marital life, as news of the divorce came to him just as he was approaching the barbarian territories. Fearing that the mountains would turn into a deathtrap. So he hired local barbarian guides to help his troops navigate the area. Those guides proved less than friendly, wasting a lot of his time and eventually leading him to an ambush in late October. Thankfully, while Niu Fu had believed in the guides’ sincerity, other officers like the old Zhang Ji didn’t and prepared for the eventual ambush they saw coming a mile away. Even with the advantage of terrain, the Di barbarians were outnumbered 12 to 1, and underequipped compared to the Imperial Army. The imperial forces managed to kill half of the Di warriors. Meanwhile, they only suffered 18 losses, with under a hundred men wounded during the fighting.

Sadly, the Chancellor himself was included among these statistics. In the fighting, a lucky spear found its way through his leg and into his horse. The mount fell to the ground with his rider still attached, leaving his legs battered and damaged while he was trampled by soldiers who moved around him. Thankfully, he was extorted from the battlefield before he could be accidentally trampled to death, but he was still in a bad shape. His leg was ruined, to the point that the physicians present in the camp decided that it would be simpler to just cut it off. Needless to say, that did nothing to improve his situation. For the rest of the campaign, Niu Fu was unable to lead the troops, stuck in bed suffering from his injuries. When the barbarians came to offer their surrender in mid-November, the Chancellor was unable to come receive their submission, with one of his subordinates substituting for him.

News of Niu Fu’s state reached the Imperial Capital quite fast. As Grand Commandant, Wang Hong was kept up to date with the war, and so was able to rely the state of the Chancellor to his allies before he even learned of the end of the campaign. Jiang Xian was certainly happy with this. He now had “proof” that Niu Fu had carelessly led his men into an ambush, his arrogance and recklessness having cost him his own leg. Clearly the perfect argument to feed court. Unwilling to wait for others to take this window of opportunity, Jiang Xian started to act, convincing the Emperor that he finally had a chance of freeing himself from the tyrant Niu Fu that kept him controlled. All too receptive to this, the Son of Heaven started to enact decrees on Jiang Xian’s behalf. The tall man even sent a letter to his old comrade of his, asking him to return to Luoyang to participate in his plan.
_____________________________________________

He had been running around so much today that his clothes were all crumpled. Today was a good day, a day of victory. So he better look the part. He took the time in front of the entrance gate of the Imperial Palace to straighten his clothes, which weren’t as fancy as one would have expected of someone who was on the verge of his greatest triumph. But he didn’t feel like boasting, not until everything was done and that his position was secured. And even then, he would probably simply prepare some tea for him and his wife as a way to celebrate. Nothing fancy, really.

His most recent meeting with the Son of Heaven had been quite fruitful. The young man was eating everything Jiang Xian was feeding him, all this story about giving him back the power that Niu Fu had taken from him. These regulars meeting had showed him how jealous and petty the monarch truly was as he cursed Niu Fu’s name during their talks. This was kind of sad for the tall man to see the Emperor like that. Oh did he remember how in awe he was when he sneaked into the Imperial Palace nine years ago to make the child sign his edict to have Dong Zhuo killed. At the time, he saw the ruler of China, the child who held the Mandate of Heaven with a right to rule over all. Now he had to admit that the Emperor was nothing but an overambitious petulant young man that could be manipulated like everyone else. How dreams died…

He finally moved past the guards, who he casually saluted. Being friendly to the personnel could never do him wrong on the long run, after all. He went down the stairs at the entrance, making his way out of the imperial residence. He made his way out of the palace in tranquility. He had given enough orders around that people were too busy for small talk. Which is why he was a bit surprised when he heard someone screaming at the guards that blocked his entrance into the courtyard.

“Let me through!” the old man screamed. “I need to speak with his Imperial Majesty! There must have been a mistake!”

As he got closer, Jiang Xian recognized the old Wang Mao. It wasn’t surprising that he would come to complain so fast. The old man had been a regent for the young Emperor during the last years of his childhood, all thanks to the influence of the Wang Clan. He arrogantly transitioned into a ministry once the Emperor was of age, feeling like he deserved all of this due to his long service to the Dynasty. He also treated Jiang Xian like an inferior underling, which explained why he was so rattled by the current situation.

Jiang Xian approached the guards, putting a hand one’s shoulder to get their attention.

“Jiang Xian!” Wang Mao exclaimed. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Do you need us to escort him out, Sir?” a guard asked the tall official.

Jiang Xian smiled. He always appreciated to see the results of his hard work pay out.

“I will talk with him.” Jiang Xian told them, walking next to Wang Mao and directing him away from the palace.

“So, what is it that you want to talk about?”

“I heard the Imperial decrees, as did the whole court!”

“Decrees?” Jiang Xian asked, trying his best to look as clueless as possible.

“The Emperor ordered my nephews to stay in their commanderies, barring them from entering Luoyang!”

Jiang Xian did his best to hide his relief. It seemed that the old man had kept his habit to miss most of court, instead relying on his Clan’s agents to report news to him. He was afraid that the man had heard about the removal of his nephews from the offices in the capital.

“And then the Emperor showered you with new honors!” Wang Mao continued. “By Heavens, what is happening? I thought you said that the new Empress would keep him under control!”

“The Emperor is going to dismiss Niu Fu as Chancellor.”

Jiang Xian continued to walk, not waiting for the old man to absorb the bomb he had just dropped.

“The… The Emperor…” Wang Mao fumbled.

“You wished to know what was happening.” Jiang Xian explained. “We are making our move.”

“You are behind this?” Wang Mao asked, springing out of his momentary shock. “Jiang Xian, have you lost your mind?”

“I am merely following the will of Heaven, transmitted to me by its Son.”

“And you did not consult with me on this? You should have told me, or Wang Hong! That way we would be ready to move in to fill the void. Is your brain too small to consider that you needed our approval for such action?”

“The Emperor was willful and determined. Refusing him would have weakened our position.” Jiang Xian explained, omitting the fact that he was the one to put this idea in the monarch’s head in the first place.

“Still!”

“Wang Hong authorized this.” he added.

This was a complete lie, of course. Wang Hong had actually been sending letters to everyone he trusted in the capital, wanting to know why Jiang Xian had yet to recall him and what those new decrees meant. He was probably starting to suspect that the tall official was no longer working for him and tried to warn his allies. Thankfully, Jiang Xian still had great influence within the Censorate, so his agents were all too happy to find the now former Grand Commandant’s mail and make sure that it disappeared before it reached its destination.

“Wang Hong agreed to this?” Wang Mao asked, surprised.

“Of course. He mentioned in a letter that he passed it through you.” Jiang Xian said innocently. “Did you not read it?”

Wang Mao was about to say something, but stopped himself. The old man didn’t want to complain that he had never read the letter, only to find it home waiting for him. His pride wouldn’t allow him such blunder.

“You will keep me informed of the events transpiring from now on.” was the only answer he could think of as he took his leave.

“Of course, great sir.” Jiang Xian lied.

He was happy to have dealt with this problem for the time being. While the old man was annoying and possibly a disturbance to his plans, he didn’t want to dispose of him. A man of such experience could prove quite useful in upholding the Han authority, after all.

Jiang Xian quickly left the Imperial Palace, making his way into a carriage that brought him to his personal mansion, which was closer to the entrances of the Imperial Capital. He had upgraded his living arrangements since the days of Dong Zhuo, now holding one of the most magnificent houses in the whole city. He might have been able to build an even better one close to the palace, but his paranoia kept him from it. He still remembered how easy he had been captured by Dong Huang, and how the tyrant and his allies had been trapped into the palace as Duan Wei massacred them. Better to be close to the exit if things went south.

When he arrived home, he saw his wife attending to their daughter Jiang Chang. It had now been ten years since he married Diaochan, and he still wondered how he did it. Heaven must have really been on his side to allow him to marry such a beautiful and intelligent woman. She had been supportive of his plans since the beginning, even when it meant going against her family, Then again, the Wang Clan had been as respectful of her as they had been of him, which didn’t mean much.

“Husband.” she welcomed him. “Was the meeting with the Emperor so long?”

“The Son of Heaven was quick to express his will. I had no problem there.” he explained. “No, it was Wang Mao who slowed me down.”

Her expression darkened a bit. She never really liked her adoptive uncle, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. That arrogant fool thought himself better than them, and kept reminding her how lucky she was to have been promoted from dancing girl to the daughter of an important Wang official.

“He should not be a problem.” Jiang Xian simply said.

Before his wife could say anything, the girl that was by her side walked to the tall man and gave him a slight punch in the leg. His daughter really needed to learn to reign in her willfulness. His wife clearly encouraged this attitude, so maybe a lady at court could help her with that.

“Ow!” Jiang Xian complained in an exaggerated fashion.

“Young lady!” Diaochan reprimanded her daughter, more for Jiang Xian than for herself.

“Father, you did not salute me when you arrived.” the girl complained.

“If you think it is the duty of guests to welcome others, then you still have tons to learn, Chang.”

“She is still young.” Diaochan defended.

“While our daughter might need to be taught a bit more harshly, I do not have the time nor the talent to take on that task. I have to prepare tea. We have a guest coming soon.”

Diaochan looked a bit uncomfortable, and Jiang Xian noticed how his daughter was holding in a laugh.

“What is it?”

“Your guest already arrived.” Diaochan told him. “He is waiting in the garden awai…”

The tall man didn’t listen to the rest of his wife’s explanation, racing for the garden within his mansion. He cursed Wang Mao for holding him up. For such meeting, he would have wished to be prepared and have his famous tea to serve as a good first impression. Making tea would also have helped him calm down and center his thoughts, too. Yet he now found himself racing to his backyard to meet his old friend.

Upon arrival he immediately noticed Shisun Rui seated at one of the tables, enjoying the dance performed by the dancers Diaochan left there to distract him. His former friend quickly noticed him arriving and waved to the dancers to stop, telling them to leave. They hadn’t seen much of each other ever since Shisun Rui was removed from his offices by Niu Fu, a downfall partially engineered by Jiang Xian. At the time, the two of them had chosen different sides to support, one siding with the Chancellor while the other found allies within the Wang Clan. At the time, he had done so out of necessity. Niu Fu had to be weaken for his own position to be strengthen. But now that he was firmly at the top, Jiang Xian could rekindle their former partnership. He quickly saluted his guest. He was happy to see him, but remained realistic about his hopes.

“Shisun Rui, it has been a long time.”

“My sleeping habits have been quite perturbed over the recent days.”

“Oh? Then maybe some of my tea might appease your dreams.”

“I doubt it, considering that your letter is the cause of my affliction.” Shisun Rui retorted.

“How could I have caused such issue to such an esteemed comrade?”

“I can only worry at the fear, idiotic as it is, that you might entertain the idea of stooping as low as to seize the Chancellorship from our esteemed Chancellor.”

Ha. So this discussion was not going to be as easy as he had hoped, it seemed.

“I am only acquiescing to the will of the Son of Heaven.” Jiang Xian tried to explain.

“Huhuh.” Shisun Rui answered, unconvinced. “A will you helped forged with your advices, I presume?”

“I am a loyal servant of the Dynasty, as you are. If the Emperor ask for my opinion, who am I to deny him my views?”

“You have ambition in your heart, Jiang Xian.”

“Am I really the only one? If Yang Biao had not been ambitious himself, would he have fought Dong Huang so hard? He dreamt to rebuild the Han with his own hands, which is exactly what I am trying to do.”

Mention of their late co-conspirator clearly brought back bitter memories to the both of them. Yang Biao had been the brain behind the assassination of Dong Zhuo and a key player in the following regime. The four of them (alongside Feng Fang) had become sworn brothers in their goal, and Yang Biao had done everything to build a pro-imperial regime in Luoyang. And now he was dead, with Jiang Xian and Shisun Rui the last remaining two.

“As is Niu Fu’s goal, yet you seek to have him remove.” Shisun Rui pointed out. “And unlike you, he seeks to achieve it without claiming power for himself.”

“Because he already holds it, at the great disdain of the Son of Heaven I might add.” Jiang Xian pointed out. “I sincerely do not understand why you still support him after he abandoned you like that.”

“Do not try to turn things around on me.” Shisun Rui retorted. “This might work with the fools you call your allies, but I can see beyond what I am shown. You think I am not aware how the Wangs put me on the spot, how this whole affair had your name written all over it?”

“And yet the Chancellor did nothing to protect you.”

“Because he wished for peace at court above all else, which I can at least respect. Niu Fu was faced with a difficult choice, and as much as it hurt me at the time, he did the right decision to ensure tranquility over discord.”

“And now I am offering you a new chance to serve the Dynasty.” Jiang Xian said, literally and figuratively offering his sworn brother a hand. “I need someone to assist me, to ensure justice at court.”

“So you want me to help you take control of the Han for yourself?”

“For ourselves! The Dynasty needs guiding hands, and the Emperor’s certainly won’t do.”

Jiang Xian kept his hand open, waiting for Shisun Rui to grasp it. He only retracted it when it became clear that his former associate would not take it.

“You seem to forget the righteous army of the Emperor, still fighting under the banner of the CURRENT Chancellor.”

“The Imperial Army serve the Emperor. They will submit to the new authority, and Niu Fu will surely surrender his authority.” Jiang Xian said, although he didn’t sound as confident as before. “This is the only path they have.”

“You are a fool to think that they will take it lying down.” Shisun Rui warned him. “I certainly won’t. I prefer to be forgotten by the annals of history than be remembered as a wicked villain.”

Jiang Xian decided that continuing would be pointless at this stage. His former ally had made it clear that he didn’t want to share power, to be part of a great administration that would restore the Han and make them the most powerful men in China. Let him fall into anonymity. He had more important things to do.
________________________________

Jiang Xian ignored the warnings of his former comrade and moved forward with his plan. He even tried to have Shisun Rui arrested the next day, only to find out that he had fled during the night. Paranoid at this news, the tall official quickly garnered a large garrison to bolster Luoyang’s defenses while he prepared his ascension. The Emperor, convinced that replacing Niu Fu with Jiang Xian would mean regaining control of his Dynasty, acquiesced to the plan. As Niu Fu’s subordinates finalized the submission of the Di barbarians west, the Emperor formally stripped his Chancellor from all his offices. In mid-November, Jiang Xian was made the new Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, with a mandate to bring peace and prosperity to the realm and serve the Son of Heaven loyally. Fear and panic pushed many supporters of Niu Fu to flee out of the capital, while others fled in disgust as they were demoted for their previous loyalties. All and all, Jiang Xian lost a good fourth of the court, although those left were all too willing to follow him.

The Imperial Army was on its way back when it learned of the change of regime, and they were outraged. They had just fought under Niu Fu and won a victory, only to learn that their righteous commander had been punished for his loyalty. Had he been in full shape, the former Chancellor might have put down any thoughts of dissention. But in his injured state he was unable to control his officers, who made a pact to avenge this insult and march on the Imperial Capital to restore Niu Fu to his righteous place. They first made it to the western capital of Chang’an, still ruled by the Niu Fu loyalist Chang Xia. However, that’s as far as the army made it. Their leader, already depressed and stressed, simply did not have the will to continue. On December the 5th, 200, Niu Fu succumbed to his injuries at the age of 40, still as loyal as ever to the Han Dynasty.

If Jiang Xian might have hoped that the death of Niu Fu would have ended the conflict, then he was soundly disappointed. The death of Niu Fu only enraged the officers even more, who were joined in Chang’an by most of the provincial officials, all disgusted by Jiang Xian’s power grab. It soon became clear that the entire of Sili Province refused to recognize the new Chancellor, who found himself with little control outside of Luoyang. Still, the generals had no clear leader to coalesce around. Wang Hong and his clansmen tried to take over the movement, as did Shisun Rui in his last attempt at historical relevance. But neither of those well-known men were chosen, the officers instead going for the relatively unknown fifty years old Jiao Jiao. The records don’t agree on why they chose Jiao Jiao. Some say that he was a comprise candidate, while others claim that the generals wanted someone that they could manipulate easily. It has also been advanced that they thought that they were selecting the more respected Cao Cao to lead them, and were too embarrassed to correct things off when they realized their mistake.

Jiao Jiao, who had enjoyed his obscurity so far, tried to refuse the honor. He was afraid of the dangers that would befall him once he took the position. But the acclamation insisting that he take over the province were too loud, and those that opposed it (like the Wang Clan) decided that they could surely maneuver themselves into power under such fool. So Jiao Jiao agreed, becoming the Governor of Sili Province with the goal of preparing a campaign to remove Jiang Xian and avenge Niu Fu’s humiliation. Meanwhile, the new Chancellor could only watch in fear as he lost control of the majority of the Han territories. He now had to deal with the former Imperial Army planning to come for him, a Capital that surely still had sympathizers to his enemies and a brash young Emperor who believed that he was about to be given full powers. Not a great start to his new perfect regime…

__________________
PS: So I could have posted this chapter 3 days ago, but I decided to hold onto it for today, as it has been 1 year since I started this AAR (as @Midnite Duke pointed out).

And yeah, things have changed a lot in the story since then! A decade has gone by and all most of the characters have moved on and change, with a few of them being big players throughout China. In fact, most of the current big players weren't in charge at the start of the story. Gongsun Zan was under You Province. Yang Weili was serving Chen Wen. Jiang Xian and Yao Shuren both served under Dong Zhuo. I'm amased of the turns that the story has taken.

I'd also like to thank anyone who followed this story so far. I hoped you enjoyed the ride so far as much as I did, and hope to see you around for the rest of it.

 

[Midnite Duke]

It has been a wild ride that makes the Byzantine court look peaceful. Thank you for the update.

 

[JSB217118]

Poor poor Niu Fu

 

[Zamarak500]

It has been a wild ride that makes the Byzantine court look peaceful. Thank you for the update.

Periods of chaos are always interesting, and Imperial China has enough backstabbing officials to make the Byzantines jealous.

Poor poor Niu Fu

Right? The guy kept trying to be loyal, always made sure that others had a place in the imperial regime and never tried to seize power for himself. His reward was to those he let in conspire against him, the Emperor he protected backstabbed him in the back and his attempts to expand imperial territories led to his pretty nasty death. Heroes can't get a good ending, it seems.

 

[patpekala]

Jiang Xian is the Chancellor now. Cool! Xian should unlock his inner Palpatine and defeat those rebel scum.

 

[Zamarak500]

Jiang Xian is the Chancellor now. Cool! Xian should unlock his inner Palpatine and defeat those rebel scum.

The issue here is that the clone army went "Nan man, we want you out and we want you dead" and went their own way, so no Order 66 for him.

 

[JSB217118]

The issue here is that the clone army went "Nan man, we want you out and we want you dead" and went their own way, so no Order 66 for him.

If only this happened in the real Star Wars.

 

[Zamarak500]

199-200: SAME OLD, BUT DIFFERENT​

Feng Zian found himself in a difficult situation as of mid-199, and a familiar one at that. In the early 190’s, Feng Zian was left isolated in the north of Jing Province, as the army commanded by Sun Jian found itself cut off from supply due to the enemy. Now almost a decade later, Feng Zian had the exact same problem, with his former commander Sun Jian now being the enemy cutting off his supply line. This left him right in the middle of enemy lands, stuck in the enemy territories he had garrisoned. To add to his problem, his lord only had the time to demote him from his post of Commandant when he was cut off, with no replacement on its way. This meant that he was technically unable to order the other officers around, although he would be damned if he let them do what they wanted under his watch. And worst of all, his son Feng Yong was now here!

This whole affair easily got on Feng Zian’s nerves. Feeling betrayed and frustrated at the current situation, he actually considered the idea of turning his army against Yuan Shu as revenge. Yet his pride couldn’t allow him to follow the same path as the traitorous Sun Jian, not now that they were facing each other. So instead, he decided that the best way to go onward was to continue the campaign and lead the troops to victory. Then he would come back to go remind his lord who had been winning all his wars so far. He forcedly assembled his officers in the early morning to tell them how things would be from now on. His passionate words were able to hide his current anger and doubts, but it still left more than a few officers unconvinced. Some of them refused to obey Feng Zian now that he was just one among many. Frustrated at this, the scholar used martial arts training to beat the crap out of them until they submitted. This left the officers in shock, with Chang Nu even trying to interpose himself, only to get a kick to the face.

Now that he had the officers under control, it was time to get this campaign back on track. Their supply line was now blocked by Sun Jian and his men, which forced the army of Feng Zian to find other ways to feed itself. Both Feng Zian and Chang Nu still remembered how Sun Jian had dealt with this problem when they found themselves stuck in Jing Province. Using the lands that they had conquered, the colonel put his troops to farming the lands to feed themselves while trading with the locals for other goods and commodities that the army might need. Sun Jian’s natural talent had allowed this plan to go smoothly at the time, so smoothly that Feng Zian was convinced that he could replicate it with ease. By August, most of the troops were preparing their fields and working the lands. This included the young Feng Yong, as his father decided that the nine years old child should have to pull his weight like any other soldier. Sadly for Feng Zian, his son had no desire to cooperate, more often than not getting into disputes with the soldiers (who saw him as bothersome at best) and sneaking off to go observe his father, being far more interested in military affairs than farming.

But his son was not the only problem he would have to deal with over the following months. It turned out that the scholar lacked Sun Jian’s administrative talent to make the farming venture work. He also lacked the temper to wait for long term results before complaining that the crops were bad. Tot his was added the fact that the locals living under his control were not as friendly as he had hoped, even though he treated them fairly. It wasn’t out of loyalty to Sun Jian, as he himself had only taken over the previous year. No, all the local peasants saw was another army coming to ravage their lands and ruin their lives. This image was certainly not helped by the fact that Chang Nu was ordered to continue tattacks against enemy villages to force them into submission. And while trading was possible, it was a difficult and often far too costly process for the army. Many soldiers would have preferred to simply raid the villages and take what they needed, but Feng Zian stopped them. He didn’t want to stoop so low as to have to steal, and promised to have any man caught doing so hanged.

Thankfully, a solution finally appeared the following year in the person of Chang Lin, the assistant of Administrator Xiao Ru of Chen Commandery. By the end of 199, Chang Lin was arguably the second most powerful man in Chen, which led him to feel quite secure and emboldened in his position (something not helped by his affair with one of Xiao Ru’s concubines). Around December 199, Chang Lin simply decided to go to war with Sun Jian for Yingchuan Commandery without any prior authorization from his lord. This bold move started to sour the relationships between the two men, but at the time Chang Lin felt like it wasn’t a big deal.

When his messengers arrived in Feng Zian’s camp, the scholar wasn’t sure how to react. Chang Lin was nothing more than another rival for control of Yingchuan, so why should they even talk with him. However, Chang Nu told his commander that by now they had nothing to lose from listening to the offer. And as it turned out, this was a pretty good one. Chang Lin didn’t actually have the troops to fight the war alone, although he refused to admit it. Instead, he offered cooperation with the forces of Feng Zian. In exchange of the promise that they wouldn’t get in the way of one another, Chang Lin would make sure that the Yuan army was supplied. Feng Zian quickly jumped on the deal, taking advantage of the fact that he technically didn’t have to answer to Yuan Shu before making a decision since he had been fired. The only side that felt shorthanded in this was Xiao Ru, who was told of the deal afterward and now had to spend resources supplying this war he wanted nothing with. Although he was angry that it had been done behind his back, he still decided to honor it and supply Feng Zian. This pact, while useful at the time, would eventually leads to problems, as Chang Lin wrongly believed that it implied a split of Yingchuan Commandery once the war was won.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu’s attitude went from happiness at feeling clever to worries and panic at the realization that he had left himself vulnerable to both Sun Jian and a possibly rebellious Feng Zian. His army was now stuck behind enemy lines under the control of an officer he had just fired. Then there was the fact that the new Commandant Tan Zilong still remained at court, unable to go take his post. Yuan Shu had once again proven so clever that he outsmarted himself into a bad situation of his own making. He quickly summoned Tan Zilong and asked him what his thoughts were on the situation, subtly hinting that maybe they should just abandon the campaign. Tan Zilong had another idea, however. He quickly convinced his lord to hold out and reappoint Feng Zian as his Commandant. While he agreed that hierarchy would have to be strengthened once the war ended, the general also believed that Feng Zian would stay loyal and pull through. Seeing it as his best bet, Yuan Shu agreed and made a complete turn, now singing the praises of Feng Zian whenever he could.

But Sun Jian had finally started to move. While he still kept most of his forces to block any supply going to Feng Zian, the great general also ordered raids under the command of his son Sun Ce, with the goal of entering Yuan Shu’s territories. If things went well, he might be able to besiege his rival’s seat of power and force him into submission, just as he had done a few years prior. But Tan Zilong had learned his lesson from seeing their territories overran in the early 190’s. He had garrisons readied on the northern border as soon as Feng Zian started marching to war. Sun Ce, who expected little resistance, was thus taken by surprise by the Yuan troops, with Tan Zilong personally commanding the defense. Sun Jian quickly realized this issue and sent an envoy to talk with Tan Zilong, hoping that the two could meet in person and come to an agreement. While Yuan Shu’s right-hand man did indeed wish to speak in person with Sun Jian due to their good relationship, he knew full well how his lord would feel about such meeting. So he sent the messenger back with a message of his own: the next man you send me will returned cut off as provisions for your troops.

Tan Zilong intransigence and his surprising resistance against the raids put Sun Jian in a difficult spot. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to penetrate Yuan Shu’s territories without using his full force, but that would mean allowing Feng Zian the regain his supply lines. But by 200 even that strategy was failing, as the Yuan troops stuck within his territories had found a temporary supplier in Chen Commandery. And once Feng Zian was mobile, he could simply fall upon the smaller army of Sun Jian and destroy him. Stuck in this situation, Sun Jian stalled, taking and advantageous position but otherwise doing nothing one way or the other. He did write extensive letters to his daughter, Empress Sun, trying to convince the Imperial Court to come to his aid. Surely Niu Fu would be willing to come help him out. But Jiang Xian made sure to stonewall all his attempts, and in the end Niu Fu went for the fateful campaign against the Di barbarians.

Feng Zian finally felt strong enough in July 200 to make his move. The supply procured from Chang Lin and Xiao Ru had managed to keep them afloat, which had given him more patience in working the fields, resulting in more food for the troops. Adding to that were a series of sieges performed by Chang Nu earlier in the year. These sieges had allowed their influence to expand far enough that they were able to reestablish contact with Yuan Shu. Chang Nu quickly became the messenger between his lord and his commander, Sun Jian being unable to stop his envoys without stretching too much. The opening of communications allowed Yuan Shu to learn that Feng Zian had indeed stayed loyal, just as Tan Zilong had predicted, which led to Feng Zian becoming aware that he had been reappointed Commandant. This made him quite happy, as he felt validated and needed by Yuan Shu, who simply couldn’t get by without him. Chang Nu simply told him that if he was so damn useful then he should win the war already, to which Feng Zian answered “When has it not been my intention?”

Feng Zian prepared his men and had them march against Sun Jian, finally reaching the Colonel’s position in early August. Sun Jian realized that he had wasted too much troops on his raids, which forced him in a difficult position where he had to face twice as many soldiers as he had. Still, as the great commander that he was, he picked a good strategic location in the town of Fenqiu to defend against the Yuan forces. His weakened state actually almost played in his favor. Feng Zian dreamed of finally avenging his previous defeats to the point that he barely cared for strategy. A frontal assault would be just fine, if it ensured his victory. But a few days before the attack, he found that his son had stolen his copy of the Art of War. While he gave Feng Yong quite the punishment for this theft, seeing the book reminded him of the need for strategy. He finally decided to take a few more days before attacking. A wise decision, as it allowed him to almost wipe the entirety of Sun Jian’s army. Feng Zian could only smile at this victory, this proof that he was the better general.

The Yuan soldiers cheered at the sight of their enemies fleeing Fenqiu. They quickly started to prepare celebrations, with some soldiers going to Feng Zian asking him to participate. As an answer, he angrily kicked the soldiers in the face and screamed “Don’t stand there like idiots! Launch a pursuit, now!” The troops were quick to jump on their horses and try to track the fleeing enemies. However, the celebrations had given Sun Jian and his allies the time to escape. They only managed to find them back in October 200, having spent two months pursuing them. Sadly, for Sun Jian, this had left him little time to recruit new troops. Now finding himself almost surrounded, his men offered to hold on while their commander and his close ones fled to safety. While he refused at first, the soldiers were able to convince him to leave and fight for another day. Half the troops were massacre red in the battle, while the rest were made prisoners.

But there would be no other day for Sun Jian. With his army destroyed, it took until the end of December to secure the rest of Yingchuan Commandery. Sun Jian fled from town to town, but at the end of the day he found himself with nowhere to go. He hoped to serve the Imperial Court now that he had lost his own lands, only to learn that the Han authority had collapsed outside of Luoyang following the death of Niu Fu. So Sun Jian and his few remaining men fled, becoming mercenaries to serve those willing to pay. The great colonel would never play another role in the grand destiny of China. Sun Jian died in 230 at the age of 75, while his son Sun Ce died in anonymity 7 years later. It was only in the late 230’s that the Sun Clan would return to some level of prominence thanks to the efforts of Sun Ce’s son Sun Feixin. None of that mattered to Feng Zian as he learned of Sun Jian’s fight. He had proven the greater general of the two, the better strategists. He had avenged the previous humiliation by showing his complete superiority over the colonel. He had won.

___________________________________
PS: As a reminder, here is what is to be expected for 201

• Pan Zheng’s war with Meng Huo (199-201) (So we will have Zhuge Liang vs Meng Huo, for fans of the RoTK)
• First part of Gongsun Zan’s second big war (200-201)
• Xiao Ru war for Pei Commandery (201)
• Yang Weili’s civil war continues (200-201)
• Liu Siyuan chapter (198-201)
• Big news from the Imperial Capital (201)
• Yuan Shu attacked by Chang Lin (200-201)

 

[Midnite Duke]

So we have a setting Sun. Thank you for the update.

 

[Bibliophile]

Thus ends the tale of Sun Jian. Such a shame, he was actually one of my favorite of the characters in this game outside of the main group. A belated farewell to Niu fu as well, who tried so hard to be a good and loyal man but was undermined at every turn and whose goal of defending the Han seems ready to fall flat with his death.

 

[Zamarak500]

Thus ends the tale of Sun Jian. Such a shame, he was actually one of my favorite of the characters in this game outside of the main group. A belated farewell to Niu fu as well, who tried so hard to be a good and loyal man but was undermined at every turn and whose goal of defending the Han seems ready to fall flat with his death.

A lot of great heroes exiting the stage in the span of a decade. Considering that Niu Fu wasn't even relevant when we started the AAR, we can only wonder who will disappear from the story next.

 

[Zamarak500]

199-201: SOUTHERN LANDS​

Pan Zheng had a hard time adjusting to his new life in Yizhou Commandery. His welcome committee hadn’t exactly been warm, and his mother-in-law Lingxuan was clearly scared of him. The two barely tolerated each other’s, and it only went so far. He also had to deal with the enraging situation of his commandery, his blood boiling at the realization that it was full of barbarian chieftains, with no Chinese settlement in sight outside of his own city. It bothered him so much that he refused to include them into his council, no matter how such gesture would have helped ease him in his functions. And then there were his duties as Chief Censor of Yi Province. He had no problem doing this, as it was similar to what he was doing in Luoyang except on a grander scale. But even if he liked this job, he still tried to spend time on his studies and writings, believing that these were the true duties of any scholars. Too bad that things were always getting in the way.

If he had to pick one thing to complain about in this new life of his, then it was Lingxuan. His father’s widow was proving such a problematic distraction to his work, to his attempts at fixing this whole commandery. While his wife Fang Xia did her best to play diplomat between the two, there was only so much that she could do. Of course, Pan Zheng hadn’t exactly helped his case, making his antipathy against the local barbarians obvious from day one. He also lacked the political skills needed to maneuver himself into a multicultural court. Local barbarian officials were quickly transferred to more tribal posts, while he allowed more Chinese officials to take positions of power, although he refused his wife’s wish to be among them. Head among these Chinese newcomers was Zhuge Liang, appointed as Lieutenant, putting him in charge of all the troops in the Commandery. Needless to say, this made a lot of people nervous, including Lingxuan.

And from Lingxuan’s point of view, Pan Zheng was dangerous, if not for the commandery than at least for her and her daughter’s future. He had not hidden his feelings about his new family, barely wanting anything to do with them an only tolerating them out of respect for his late father. Pan Yuyi was a weak child, with her mother always fearing that she would catch a cold and die. Adding Pan Zheng to this and it was no wonders that she was paranoid. She stubbornly started to hinder his more extreme ideas at court, trying to keep peace and stop any action the new administrator might take against her. And she proved quite good at it, stonewalling the few things he tried to do for the commandery when he wasn’t working as Chief Censor or studying the classics. As it turned out, all of that time in Luoyang had done nothing to edge up Pan Zheng’s political skills, and he was still this stubbornly clueless scholar who was mostly blind to the political networks he attacked by opening his mouth.

Pan Zheng was starting to get damn sick of her. By September 199, he had a discussion about it with his companion Zhuge Liang, who had become something of a right-hand man for him. It could have honestly been argued that Zhuge Liang was actually the one in charge, being far more present in the daily affairs than Pan Zheng. Not that the famed scholar couldn’t do the job, on the contrary. Just that he felt he had more important things to do. So he left Zhuge Liang in charge, which meant that the strategist was acutely aware of the problem that Lingxuan represented. She was humble and knew her place, but was clearly envious and afraid of them. In the end, he asked Pan Zheng if he wanted her out of the way, to which Pan Zheng answered “If you have a way to get rid of her, I want to do it.”

Zhuge Liang thus decided to deal with the problem by himself. Believing that murder might be too much for Pan Zheng, he still decided to use a less violent approach. One advantage he could use was his ability to use the influence Pan Zheng had, both as an official and as head of the Pan Clan. Zhuge Liang quickly decided to use the later to get rid of Lingxuan. He contacted another administrator who resided in the north of the province, a man named Bao Ming. Bao Ming was seeking to find new concubines and was all too happy when the strategist told him that he had one right for the taking. Bao Ming did ask if Pan Zheng had given the ok and why they were getting rid of her. He simply answered the administrator that his lord wanted this to happen, and that such a young woman shouldn’t be wasted in the south with all those vile barbarians around. Still, Bao Ming felt hesitant, unwilling to take Lingxuan’s recently born daughter with her. To this, Zhuge Liang happily answered that they would keep her no problem and that Bao Ming could take the woman with no strings attached.

When news of this deal came back to Yizhou Commandery, it caused quite the uproar. Of course, Lingxuan tried to fight against it, crying that she didn’t want to be separated from her daughter. Pan Zheng was surprisingly also angered by the situation, chastising Zhuge Liang for acting behind his back like that. This took Zhuge by surprise, and the strategist felt hurt by this. Pan Zheng was angered that he hadn’t been consulted, and that he had to learn the whole thing from Bao Ming (who he got along with quite well). Tellingly however, none of his complains were about the details of the deal, be it sending off Lingxuan to Bao Ming’s harem or the separation of mother and daughter. It was quite telling that he didn’t bate an eye to the woman’s pleas, all too content to get rid of her. So Lingxuan was forced away from her home to go serve a man she never met, with her daughter left behind. They would never meet again. Her only satisfaction, if any, was that when He Xiaolong fired Pan Zheng in April 200, he had him replaced by Bao Ming.

While Pan Zheng didn’t seem to care for this outside of his slighted authority, his wife Fang Xia was horrified. She had been quite sympathetic to the widow Lingxuan, feeling pity for her situation and trying to help her live in peace at her husband’s court. Learning that he had just sent her away like that while leaving the baby Pan Yuyi behind disgusted her. The following night she confronted him over this, asking him how he could do this to a mother and her child. To this he answered with a puzzled expression. “Why do you care? Our child is fine.” Fang Xia couldn’t believe her husband, and reminded him that this was his sister that they were talking about. The daughter of his father. As always, Pan Zheng refused to change his mind on the issue. Still, he did relent when his wife asked him to raise his sister as if she was their child, which Fang Xia did from that point on. In fact, she did such a good job that Pan Yuyi would spend most of her youth believing that she was in fact her daughter.

Pan Zheng might have excused himself from being so detached of all this, as affairs at home were secondary to his growing desire to remove the barbarians in his territories. Multiple inhatied Yizhou Commandery, a fact that disgusted him to the highest level. His hatred quickly found a target in the person of Meng Huo, which made the whole thing even more personal. Meng Huo was the son of Meng Shamoke, the barbarian who had killed his brother Pan Jian in 187. The older barbarian had been quite the figure in the early 190’s, leading a revolt against the then Governor Liu Yan. Meng Shamoke had eventually surrendered and felt back in line, becoming the barbarian supporter of the regime. This had costed him dearly, as in 196 he was overthrown by his former supporters and forced to flee in hiding. As of late 199, Meng Shamoke was living in a cave as a mad hermit, his star long gone.

But Meng Huo was another story. He had actually been the engineer behind his father’s revolt and would have probably been one of its greatest generals had he not been relocated outside of his father’s territories by Liu Yan months before the barbarians rose up. This meant that he was kept safe from the failure of the revolt and the eventual backlash against his father. When Pan Wei got appointed as administrator of Yizhou Commandery in late 196, Meng Huo made it clear that it wouldn’t be possible to govern without his support. The old man grudgingly got the message, and Meng Huo had been allowed to act as an autonomous chieftain, as well as serving as an important official of the commandery. But when the old man was replaced by his son, the barbarian didn’t miss the signs that things would escalate. He knew the history between their families, but still felt offended when he and his allies were sacked from the local government. It didn’t take long for Meng Huo to start building up a military force in case Pan Zheng tried anything against him.

And trying something he did. In January 200, Pan Zheng ordered Meng Huo to present himself in his local capital. The barbarian angrily sent a reply demanding to be told why he should come and what he had done to deserve such a summon. Always honest, Pan Zheng let the cat out of the bag and told him that his leadership over his tribe was ending today and that he should present himself to be replaced by a true, more cultured, Chinese official. The barbarian simply refused to obey the order, instead daring Pan Zheng to come to him instead. Feeling like he had nothing to fear from such a lowly barbarian, the scholar demanded once again that Meng Huo surrender his authority. Meng Huo responded by revolting in February 200.

To both sides surprise, none of the other barbarian chieftains joined Meng Huo in his revolt. The barbarian chief had always acted as something of a regional leader for his people and was angered to see that they refused to join his cause. Pan Zheng, for his part, was pleasantly surprise to see this, declaring “at least the vermin know its place”. As for why they chose to stay loyal (or at the very least to stay out of it), that is debatable. Some might have been jealous of the power and prestige of Meng Huo and hoped for his failure. After all, this might open the door for their own rise as the de facto leader of their people. Others had simply been bribed or convinced to stay loyal by Zhuge Liang, who unlike Pan Zheng had no issue lowering himself to dealing with the barbarians in order to ensure victory. He thought that it would be better to be prepared and be safe, which was a good strategy all things considered.

But maybe they should have paid more attention to the numbers, as they were not in their favor when the war started out. While the tribal chiefs stayed loyal to Pan Zheng, a lot of their tribesmen joined Meng Huo’s call to arms. While his authority was technically limited to the tribe in Yuyuan, his personal charisma and family name led many southern barbarians to rally to his cause. Soon enough, he had a thousand and a half barbarian soldiers at his disposal. Meanwhile, Pan Zheng and Zhuge Liang put their bet into better equipped Chinese infantry. The issue was that Chinese infantry was actually hard to come by in the south, which left them with less than 500 trained troops to fight what looked like a barbarian horde in comparison.

This issue is why Pan Zheng put his Lieutenant Zhuge Liang in charge of the whole war. While he still wanted to go command troops against the savages, he understood that this was Zhuge Liang’s field of expertise and allowed him to do his magic. “I don’t know how to defeat them, but you can fix that for me.” he admitted before they left. The strategist promised to win this war for him, just as Pan Zheng would one day help him get his revenge on Xiao Ru for killing his father. But Pan Zheng decision to take a backseat was also due to the changes occurring in the province. In April 200, Liu Fan died unexpectedly, with his son Liu Jishan succeeding him as governor. This allowed He Xiaolong to sneak in and become regent of the whole province. Having never been a fan of Pan Zheng, He Xiaolong fired the scholar as Chief Censor and replaced him with the aforementioned Bao Ming. This turned his attention away from the current war at a crucial moment when it should have been all he thought about.

The two armies met in Cun County, which housed a tribe of southern barbarians that had refused to join Meng Huo in his revolt. Zhuge Liang chose the terrain and the location, maneuvering Meng Huo exactly where he wanted him to nullify his numerical advantage as much as possible. Sadly, it didn’t matter in the end due to a series of factors. First of all was Meng Huo’s knowledge of the terrain. He had lived his whole life in the uncivilized south and knew how to navigate it while Zhuge Liang had only arrived in the area two years ago. But while Zhuge Liang might have been able to overcome this disadvantage, problems in their own force doomed their efforts. First was Pan Zheng. While he had agreed to let Zhuge Liang command the troops, he still proved as stubborn as ever, which caused frictions between the two men. Zhuge Liang eventually snapped at him, which prompted Pan Zheng to storm out before the strategy for the battle could be explained. Even worst, a key part of Zhuge Liang’s plan relied on the idea that he could summon wind. Somehow, he believed that this was doable. Needless to say, the Battle of Cun was a victory for Meng Huo.

The Chinese were forced to retreat back to Pan Zheng’s main stronghold, leaving Cun County at the mercy of Meng Huo. Of course, the local chieftain Dailaidongzhu (full name Di Dailaidonzhu) still remained, but what commitment he had to Pan Zheng’s cause disappeared with his defeat. Dailaidongzhu quickly sent envoys to parlay with Meng Huo, but the rebellious barbarian refused to hear them. Dailaidongzhu had picked a sidem a decision for which he needed to be punished. For the next three months, the barbarians of Meng Huo went from village to village, taking what they needed or recruiting the locals to their cause. Some villages got violence while others got peace, depending on how angry Meng Huo felt on a certain day. When he was finally satisfied, he did accept to meet with his fellow chieftain. There he promised Dailaidongzhu that his rights would be respected once victory was secured, and that never would that pompous Pan Zheng ever cross any of them again.

While this was happening, the Pan Zheng and Zhuge Liang regrouped in their home. Disputes over what was to be done next quickly flared between the two men. Pan Zheng was now advocating for a more defensive strategy, seeing how fighting the enemy on the open field had miserably failed. They would be safer behind the walls of the city. And besides, he had previous experience in siege defense, having protected the lands of his father-in-law in 195. Of course, Zhuge Liang called this interference in the authority he was given, to which Pan Zheng pointed out that he still outranked him regardless. Their situation got worse as they learned in November that Meng Huo was making his way here. Zhuge Liang wished to take troops to go take back Cun and then attack Meng Huo’s home base, which would force him to retreat or come to the negotiation table. Pan Zheng shut down the idea immediately for quite obvious reasons. “I need these men to defend my walls and my safety. How long will the city last without them?”

But Zhuge Liang refused to listen. Going against orders, he took most of the troops and slipped out in the night, convinced that he was right. He made his way to Cun County, which had just been emptied by Meng Huo and his men. Dailaidongzhu was not happy to see them, as the garrison left behind was inadequate to defend Meng Huo’s gains. Unwilling to switch side again, Dailaidongzhu quickly sent messengers to Meng Huo, who was so angered by this news that he almost abandoned his siege of Pan Zheng’s city. Instead, he was convinced to break his army and sent around 500 men to deal with Zhuge Liang. The strategist, who expected Meng Huo to focus exclusively on Pan Zheng, was actually caught by surprise by the barbarian reinforcements. Using the few days he had, he left Cun and sped to Yuyuan (Meng Huo’s territories). He hoped to force a confrontation there that would allow him to demoralize the locals into submission. Good plan, except that when he fought that battle in December, he lost it.

By January 201, the walls of the city fell to the barbarians, who quickly started to lout the houses. Meng Huo was smart enough to leave the Administrator’s mansion intact, as he feared that hurting Pan Zheng would bring the whole province down on his head. Against his most basic beliefs and his hatred of the Meng family, Pan Zheng was forced to surrender and acknowledge the rights of the barbarians. Not only would they keep their tribes and their authority, but they would serve as the key advisors within the commandery. In many ways, this was a repudiation of Pan Zheng’s famous writings on how to deal with the southern barbarians, and it made him want to puke. But what choice did he have in this situation? From that point on, the scholar would deal with a lot more care when it came to the barbarians.

Zhuge Liang was reorganizing his troops to attack Yuyuan again when he learned of Pan Zheng’s capitulation. The strategist felt disgusted at this show of weakness, not only because Pan Zheng had been unable to hold out for as long as needed, but because he had submitted to those he hated. This was a clear sign that Pan Zheng would not be the one to help him achieve his great ambitions and get his revenge. So Zhuge Liang walked out, taking the army with him. He turned to a life of banditry and raiding, his host soon joined by deserters, bandits and even some barbarians. While he would lay low the following years, he would plan his time, ready to reemerged when he was ready to take on the world and inscribe his name in the annals of history.