The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[The Meme King]

I'm surprised you put Pan Zheng in the good guys category. I don't know, on my scale of bad to good, his score hasn't been that great so far if you ask me. Not the worse, but also not exactly the best either.

What I meant is that if Pan Zheng had allied with Wu Mengjie and Gao Rou it would be easy to root for them and a very "clean and simple" war narrativelly speaking.
In terms of moral goodness of intention and actions(and NOT personal preference/enjoyment), my ranking for the main cast goes:
1. Yang Weili: Just trying to do the best with what he is given. Did not ask for any power or authority and gladly gives it away to end suffering on the first opportunity, literally just trying to do his job in peace.
2. Mo Jie: Although the situation with his wife is VERY suspicious to say the least. He generally has acted in the way that best serves the majority of the people and his liege and has demonstrated genuine kindness and charity to the downtrodden.
3. Feng Zian: Besides cheating on his wife and hating his kids. He is a competent general and leader that has shown devotion to his post to an almost heroic level.
4. Yao Shuren: Has done fucked up shit, but can be rationalized as "for the greater good" in most cases. Has shown himself honourable and capable, seems to be doing a really good job of bringing the different peoples and factions of his province together, which is no mean feat.
5. Pan Zheng: His racism is understandable at least, but his main flaw is his lack of empathy and aloofness in face of evil. Depending on how later chapters portray his state of mind after the celestial master coup, he could easily drop a rank or two.
6. Hu Zan: Certainly a ruthless powergrabber. Indirectly responsible for the death of Kong Rong and many innocent people with him, however has yet to do anything truly morally reprehensible.
7. Liu Siyuan: Falling victim to his fears and insecurities after several admitedly traumatic experiences. Has ordered several needless assasinations and caused great harm to many, which he doesn't seem to feel any remorse from.
8. Jiang Xian: Despite his disgusting betrayals of many close allies and friends, I do think that a part of him still believes (in his own fucked up way) he is serving the han as best he can and doing good in the grand scheme of things.
9. Xiao Ru: As Bibliophile said, he is a very petty and childish kind of evil. Only putting him at nine because so far all his misdeeds have been passion-crimes in a way, I almost think Xiao Ru could have been a mediocre if not decent human being were his moral fiber not constantly tested and he constantly failing it. Resulting in misery for many.
10. Xuan Su: Completely irredemable, ruthless, manipulative psychopath. Might not have caused *too* much destruction yet, but has betrayed everyone he ever allied with and murdered with no remorse. Unlike the rest of the cast, Xuan Su has no great goals or ideals he works for, wasn't forced or incentivated to commit any of his evil deeds, was not even victim to his own weaknesses or vices. He just straight up planned and executed all of it for the sake of increasing his own power.

Btw, if you guys even need context over something don't be shy to ask, I'm always happy to answer.

I would like to get a better grasp on Pan Zheng's state of mind after the celestial master coup, thank you!

 

[Zamarak500]

I would like to get a better grasp on Pan Zheng's state of mind after the celestial master coup, thank you!

He... probably doesn't care as much as he should. Unlike the generals, who either panicked or almost went berzerk, Pan Zheng probably went for something like "Heh, I did not see that coming. Well, what does it mean for me?" It's not that he doesn't care, per say, but Pan Zheng has shown to be self centered to the point of selfishness at times. For example, he has worked for many people over the series so far, but how often has he been really motivated to do the job asked from him?

His feelings about the previous regime are kinda like that. Yes, they gave him a commandery, but he personally fells that he owes it more to his dad, and with all the barbarians problems he sees it as a poisoned gift at times. He had terrible relationships with He Xiaolong, who controlled the government. And unlike the other officers, he did spend a lot of time away from Yi Province serving various lords. So having a new master to serve isn't exactly new to him. He adopted a wait and see policy with Zhang Lu, and in the end it led him to get a job in his administration. Yes, a kid died, but other than the "well that sucks" attitude you have when hearing that kinda stuff on TV, I doubt he cared much. He saw Liu Jishan as a puppet of He Xiaolong more than anything else, and he was quite please with the regent's removal.

Now it's not to say that he doesn't have worries. He has showed to be warry, if not suspicious, of the Celestial Masters's belief system. After all, he is a confucian scholar, so all this mystical taoist munbo-jumbo. And he's not the only one, Feng Zian having shown at some point disappointment in his son's interest in taoism. Now, this is China, so the two belief systems aren't going to start slaughtering each other. For comparaison, it's closer to Catholics and Orthodoxs than Catholics and Muslims in term of how they don't like each others. The two ideas tolerates each others, they just keep trying to prove the other wrong. So Pan Zheng worries over a Taoist sect are normal.

So I think "Meh" is the best word to describe his state of mind over the issue.

PS: the chapter on Gongsun Zan will probably have to wait the weekend

 

[Zamarak500]

202-203: DANGERS FROM ALL SIDES ​

The news of Zhang Yan’s invasion forced Gongsun Zan to pause (both in his advance and in his alcohol consumption). A massive threat had appeared on his southern borders just as he was finally pushing into You Province, and now he had to decide what to do. Liu Bei and his son Gongsun Xu certainly wanted him to return home and come to their help. And indeed, he did consider this course of action. But then there was the war he was fighting, the war he was currently winning. Morale was high among his men, and Zhang Fei pushed to continue the northern offensive. The threat of Zhang Yan was real, and a dangerous one at that. He could lose Ji Province if he ignored it. In the end, the need to keep the pressure on Lü Bu and Cao Cao won out over the new threat. The warlord sent orders to his subordinates in the provincial capital to hold out until he had finished in the north. Leaving would allow Lü Bu to rebuild his forces, and Gongsun Zan couldn’t allow that to happen. Still, this was one tough decision. He really needed a drink after that. Or six.

With this as their answer, Liu Bei started to organize whatever resistance he could to the incoming host. He knew full well that he would never be able to muster an army able to resist the invaders, but he tried anyway. His job was to slow down Zhang Yan’s army, and damnit he would do it and do it well. Weirdly enough, Xuan Su of all peoples offered his help. Considering the man’s talent, both at fighting and leading, Liu Bei gladly welcomed him, even if he was starting to get suspicious of him. Liu Bei returned to his own county, which was closer to the southern border, and was able to assemble a force of a few hundred men to his banner. Xuan Su also brought gold to pay locals, spreading wealth freely (although not his) to the point that Liu Bei eventually had a thousand troops at his disposal. Strangely, there was also one weird assassination attempt from one of the recruits. Most blamed it on the man being an assassin sent by Zhang Yan, but Liu Bei distinctively remembered the man being among the recruits of Xuan Su…

In July, the defense organized by Liu Bei and Xuan Su was finally faced by the army of Zhang Yan, which gave the two generals pause. They had expected a larger army, yes, but not eight thousand soldiers! They barely had one thousand at their disposals! Xuan Su was starting to get increasingly stressed about this, considering how his main reason for being here was to find an opportunity to kill Liu Bei. He planned to let Liu Bei command the battle and ensure and that an accident took place, which would be believable enough. This plan went out the window when the scion of the Han refused to lead from the frontline. Since losing a hand a decade ago, Liu Bei was proving reticent to jump into battle. Frustrated at this, and unwilling to let the men get slaughtered without command, Xuan Su took over the troops and led them in their hopeless defense against Zhang Yan. While this battle did end up in a heavy defeat (any other outcome would have been surprising), Xuan Su did accomplish something exceptional. While the fighting raged on, he managed to make his way to Zhang Yan, fighting him in a bloody duel in the middle of the battlefield. Even if the enemy commander was a decent fighter, he was no match for the northern duelist. Zhang Yan was dragged out of the battlefield with a missing eye and large wounds. This was enough for Xuan Su, who took what he could get and ordered a retreat.

Xuan Su and Liu Bei retreated back to the provincial capital. Thankfully, Zhang Yan was too injured to pursue. With their leader temporarily incapacitated, his men preferred to stay behind with him, focusing their efforts on besieging surrounding cities instead. Upon arriving home, Xuan Su started shouting at Liu Bei, accusing him of cowardice and refusing to waste any more of the province resources in this hopeless defense. The scion of the Han did point out that they had orders to hold out, but the Chief Clerk was adamant that they should instead focus on sending help to Gongsun Zan so he could finish the war up north faster. In the end, Gongsun Xu intervened and decided to side with Liu Bei. He didn’t want to have to tell his father that they had failed him, which meant doing everything to stop Zhang Yan. They started to rebuild a force to stop the invaders, even with Xuan Su shaking his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, things were not going well for Lü Bu. Gongsun Zan’s advance was slow but steady, with nothing to stop him. Cao Cao was now commanding half of what they had left, which meant that Lü Bu was forced to listen to the annoying strategies and tactics of his ally. Didn’t he understand that only strong might would save the day? What an idiot, this Cao Cao. Tensions between the two men weren’t helped by the absence of the Commandant Ding Kai. The old man had gotten considerably sicker, leaving him unable to perform his daily duties like recruiting new troops or helping in the war effort. Lü Bu still had Tian Chou, who remained ever so loyal to him, but he was no Ding Kai. Some in the ranks were starting to get depressed about their chances, no matter what Lü Bu kept telling them. Even Cao Cao suggested once that maybe they should open talks with Gongsun Zan, an idea soundly rejected by the northern warlord. He would die before he ever admitted that his rival had won.

Cao Cao didn’t like the idea of leaving Lü Bu in command of the troops. He didn’t trust the warlord to not charge right in the battle once they met Gongsun Zan’s army. This led to disputes between the allies, which was only resolved when Cao Cao suggested that Tian Chou be the one commanding the center, a compromise that was grudgingly accepted by Lü Bu. Ironically, Tian Chou wanted Lü Bu to command, but Cao Cao managed to convince him that this was the best strategy to win the war. Knowing how honorable Tian Chou was, it was better to play with his sense of duty instead of threatening him. So Tian Chou agreed to take temporary command, although he spent most of his time deferring to Lü Bu and Cao Cao for advices, making the whole affair pointless. When they met the armies of Gongsun Zan in September, they were disorganized and barely ready to fight, which made their far smaller size an even biggest problem. Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan was the true leader of his men without any challenge while Zhang Fei led ferocious charges on the enemy. Victory was assured for the Ji forces.

The year kept approaching its end, with Gongsun Zan making progresses while his son and friend failed to stop the dangerous advance of Zhang Yan. Cao Cao had started to send feelers to Zhang Yan, hoping that the former bandit might agree to a circumstantial alliance to defeat their common enemy. Of course, he kept this hidden from Lü Bu, who would have never accepted this. However, Zhang Yan wanted nothing to do with them either, and this plan fell through. All they had left was to hope that they could hold until Gongsun Zan had to leave for the south. January 203 arrived, and by then Liu Bei and Gongsun Xu had once again made an attempt to stop the invaders, an attempt thwarted as much by the enemy as by Xuan Su, who sabotaged it from behind. News of this certainly gave Gongsun Zan pause, and the northern warlord finally had their hopes up. And then, Budugen the Great decided that this was a great time to invade You Province.

Budugen had recently become the boogeyman of all China after his recent war. He had spent most of 202 invading two counties held by Tan Zhihan in Qing, paying Korean fleets to ferry his army to Qing Province in a surprise attack that shocked everyone. Unable to resist, even with the help of Tao Shang, Tan Zhihan had no choice but to surrender those territories to Budugen. This shocked everyone. For the first time in centuries, possibly ever, the northern barbarians had managed to encroach themselves within China. While Budugen had always been a threat, he had been a distant one. Everyone assumed that he would build his little northern empire and be done with it, leaving China to its own affairs. Now people started to realize that the northern Khagan might be coming south, taking advantage of the chaos to expand. And this was exactly what he was doing with You Province, using the fact that Lü Bu was distracted with Gongsun Zan to take territories for himself.

Lü Bu and Cao Cao tried to retreat toward the provincial capital, hoping to fortify in the area and prepare for an eventual showdown with Gongsun Zan. Even Ding Kai had joined them, the old Commandant having finally recovered enough to help. Cao Cao wasn’t exactly confident about their chances however. Their slow advance toward Lü Bu’s seat of power did nothing to help them. All it did was allow more deserters to leave what they saw as a sinking ship. Even Cao Cao started to prepare for a backup plan, sending secret envoys to Gongsun Zan to possibly negotiate his own withdrawal from the war. But Lü Bu was confident that they could hold out in his provincial capital. It was fortified enough to hold. A decent plan, which was ruined when fleeing refugees came in contact with his army. In March 203, Lü Bu’s home had fallen to the hordes of Budugen the Great. His entire family was captured and most of his supporters were killed in the process. After this news, Cao Cao chose to permanently abandon Lü Bu. Having nowhere else to run, the warlord was forced to backtrack, only to be ambushed by Gongsun Zan in April.

The battle was the final disaster for his cause. Lü Bu and Ding Kai were captured in the battle, although Tian Chou managed to escape. Ding Kai was immediately executed on Gongsun Zan’s orders as he was unwilling to let such an influential figure live. Lü Bu was another story. He was captured and imprisoned, with the goal of keeping him under guard until Zhang Yan had been defeated. Then both men would be executed together publicly to show the victory of Gongsun Zan over his enemies. Nut the warlord’s life would end in a different way, as on their way south Lü Bu would die while in custody. No one is sure if this was accidental, intentional, or just his health taking too much of a tole. Whatever the reason, this proved the end of a man that had once been one of the most powerful warlords in China. His family was kept as guests by Budugen, who planned on using them to put pressure on Gongsun Zan. After a year, he eventually released them and allowed them to go live in Liang Province. The family would then move to Sili Province, where Lü Bu’s eldest son Lü Son would make a career for himself, even marrying a younger daughter of Jiang Xian of all people.

Now in control of You Province, Gongsun Zan still had a few issues to deal with before he went back south. First, he allowed safe passage to Cao Cao, with who he had worked out a deal beforehand. He didn’t want to have to worry with him, so it was better to allow the warlord to return home safely. As for Tian Chou, he was still holding with what was left of Lü Bu’s army. After sending envoys, Gongsun Zan swore that he would give him amnesty and welcome him in his service in exchange for standing down. While still unsure, Tian Chou realized that he had no other option and surrendered, if only to save his men. For this, he was promoted to the position of Administrator of Youpeiping Commandery, which was on the border with the Xianbei Confederation (and currently occupied by Budugen). With his appointment, Gongsun Zan wanted to signal to the Khagan that his window of opportunity had passed. If he dared continue, then it would be the full might of the Ji forces that would await him.

Budugen chose to retire. While Gongsun Zan celebrated this as a proof of their superiority, Budugen had more pragmatic reasons for leaving. The border had been pillaged, meaning that the nomads’ coffers were full. And yes, fighting a larger more unified foe like Gongsun Zan would be harder than Lü Bu’s destroyed army, but Budugen would have still prevailed. But for what? A few counties? This was not worth the effort, especially as he had a far more prestigious prize to claim in the East. In the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, the regent child was ruled by corrupt regents, which led to a palace coup in early 203. The internal disputes rendered the state extremely weak, which made it a perfect target for Budugen. So the Khagan would leave, instead focusing on making this powerful Korean state his tributary. He would achieve this goal by the end of the year, spreading his empire even further. But Gongsun Zan didn’t care about that. All that mattered was that he had won. Lü Bu was defeated, and he now controlled You Province.

Upon his way back home, Gongsun Zan received a weird missive from an unexpected source. The warlord Yao Xu wanted to submit to his rule. Yao Xu was that barbarian who had been given a county in Bing Province all the way back under Dong Huang, having even served as a Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army. After the loss of Bing Province to Lü Bu, he remained loyal to Luoyang, even offering his services to Niu Fu when he became Chancellor. By now heavily sinicized, Yao Xu had finally broken with the Imperial Court after the takeover from Jiang Xian, instead going his own way. He had since remained independent from Bing Province, but now that Gongsun Zan had claimed the whole north it seemed like a good opportunity to submit. When made aware of this, Xuan Su sent a demand that Yao Xu be put under his direct control. Their lands were right next to one another, after all. It would only made sense to subject the barbarian to him. But Gongsun Zan, feeling that this request was a bit suspicious, instead appointed Yao Xu as Administrator of Dingxiang Commandery, which meant that he would now rule lands previously held by Xuan Su.

Infuriated at this turn of events, Xuan Su decided that he had enough and packed home, using the excuse that the borders would need to be watched over. After all, who knew if Budugen would hold his part of the bargain and leave? Xuan Su was also careful to justify his absence as a way to help the war effort against Zhang Yan, who was still destroying everything in the south of Ji Province. He was able to leave enough paper trails to prove that he was indeed going home to help, even if this wasn’t his intention. Of course, this had never been his goal to begin with. He returned home because one of the local magistrates had died and managed to pass it to his young son. Everyone in the county was crying the death of their leader, which meant that it was a perfect opportunity to seize it! Xuan Su made sure to justify it by saying that the son should not have inherited it, as he had not been appointed by Gongsun Zan.

Panicking, the regents of Shaling County started to recruit barbarian mercenaries to come to their aids. Their court was already filled with Xiongnus and other local barbarians, which had only helped Xuan Su explain why he needed to take it over, to cleanse it from the vile savages ruling their court. The regents of Shaling County were able to assemble a good number of mercenaries, producing a force roughly equal to that of Xuan Su. And they even got some decent commanders to help them. Most importantly, this included Uchjulu, the Xiongnu warrior who had been a rival to Xuan Su ever since he was nothing more than a simple courtier, the first man to ever challenge his ambition. Seeing a chance to once again be a thorn in his side, Uchjulu quickly offered his services to Shaling County, ready to come fight against the hated Xuan Su. When the Chief Clerk was notified of Uchjulu’s presence, it actually took him a moment to remember who his men were talking about. But once he did remember, Xuan Su started trashing the room in anger and annoyance.

Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan had progressed south, reinforced by troops levied by Gongsun Xu and Liu Bei (but none from Xuan Su, who excused this by saying he needed them on the border). He was quite pleased with the efforts of his son and his best friend. While they had failed to defeat Zhang Yan, they had managed to weaken him considerably. Through sieges and battles, the invaders had lost more than a thousand men, all the while Gongsun Zan kept replenishing his ranks. When he arrived in his provincial capital, Gongsun Zan celebrated with his son, while Zhang Fei and Liu Bei caught up and spent time together for the first time in years. The warlord actually got so drunk that he had to be put in a bad in a carriage in order to depart. While his gout was acting up, he was able to command his troops in September against Zhang Yan at Pingyin, although the actual leading of the soldiers was left to Zhang Fei. Zhang Yan’s forces, which had so far only experienced small resistance, were taken aback by this massive army, and soon collapsed. Half of them were killed or captured.

Xuan Su had a far harder time in forcing a battle. With the exception of Uchjulu, most of the barbarian officers decided that it would be a bad idea to fight the enemy forces in an open battle. So instead, they moved around trying to avoid ever encountering the administrator’s army. Frustrated to be denied his battle, Xuan Su instead decided to simply besiege the enemy city. If they didn’t want to fight him, then he would simply take what he wanted! This gave them pause. Some believed that they could counter this by besieging Xuan Su’s own seat of power, but Uchjulu pointed out that he did exactly that before and it failed miserably. Forcing the other commanders to submit, he finally offered Xuan Su the battle that he had wanted, hoping to be able to defeat his hated rival. He would be proven wrong, as Xuan Su was an excellent military commander and easily tricked the enemy army through clever maneuvers. Following this defeat, Shaling County surrendered in November, allowing Xuan Su to take it for himself (although he then gave it to one of his followers). As for Uchjulu, he once again managed to escape, this time finding refuge among the Northern Xiongnus.

Just as Xuan Su was experiencing his victory, Gongsun Zan was putting an end to the invasion of Zhang Yan in the south. With a reduced army, Zhang Yan could only retreat in the lands he had occupied to fortify. Considering how well that went for Lü Bu, it is no surprise that this strategy did not save him. A battle took place in November 203 which once again resulted in a massive defeat for Zhang Yan and his troops. Most of his officers were captured or killed, although only a few hundred men were lost. Seeing the writing on the wall, Zhang Yan chose to abandon his army and leave before he was cornered in another battle, his men surrendering shortly after. Gongsun Zan welcomed their surrender and even allowed most of them to go free, as long as they disarmed. And just like that, the war was over. Gongsun Zan now controlled three provinces. He was the true master of northern China. This certainly warranted a few celebratory drinks. But while he celebrated, Zhang Yan still lived, making his way south with a few supporters. Of course, the former bandit leader couldn’t go back to Yang Province. Instead, he chose to offer his services to another rising power in the region, where he knew that his services would be valued. After all, Xiao Ru always needed good commanders.

________________
PS: Sorry for the delay. Here’s the incoming chapters for 204:

1. Liang Provinces stuffs (203-204)
2. Yuan Shu finally enjoying peace (202-204)
3. Liu Siyuan vs the barbarians (203-204)
4. Tao Shang and Tan Zhihan try to contain the rise of Xiao Ru (203-204)
5. Xuan Su’s war against the Northern Xiongnus (204)
6. Maybe a chapter in the Imperial Capital (might move it to the start of 205)

 

[Bibliophile]

You know, if Xuan Su hadn’t tried to have Liu Bei assassinated in the prior scene, then his duel with Zhang Yan would almost strike me as heroic. This is Xuan Su however… wait is that the kind trait in his character portrait!? How on Earth did that happen? Doesn’t seemed to have changed to much of his regular behavior so I’ll just move on from that. That legitimately derailed my whole thought process and now I don’t remember what else I was going to say about him.

Looks like Budugen is on the move now. He may be content with the conquest of You province for now, but this has planted a seed that may sprout forth sooner or later. This is probably not the last we’ve seen of him. It is the last we’ve seen of Lu Bu however, I must say that this whole ordeal with Gogsun Zan was exactly what Lu Bu deserved: A crushing defeat that didn’t even give him an opportunity for a remarkable death. I imagine his last moments were spent raging how someone so “great” as him was forced to die such a common death. Though I could be wrong. Either way, this all worked out pretty well for Gongsun Zan.
Is that a potential Zhang Yan and Xiao Ru team up I see at the end? This will either go really well or really horribly (knowing Xiao Ru’s luck, probably a weird mixture of both).

 

[Zamarak500]

You know, if Xuan Su hadn’t tried to have Liu Bei assassinated in the prior scene, then his duel with Zhang Yan would almost strike me as heroic. This is Xuan Su however… wait is that the kind trait in his character portrait!? How on Earth did that happen? Doesn’t seemed to have changed to much of his regular behavior so I’ll just move on from that. That legitimately derailed my whole thought process and now I don’t remember what else I was going to say about him.

He had the kind trait for a while, although it shows mostly in how he takes care of the people in his territories and his underlings (that kid in the recent chapter excluded), like how he didn't want to leave the soldiers leaderless here. Since we almost never see the people working for him, we never see it in practice.

 

[Zamarak500]

203-204: HOME SWEET HOME​

Yao Shuren had just crushed the revolt of Chang Xia and Wang Chen. Yet he didn’t even have the time to turn his army around when a new threat appeared. With the Liang rebels cowed into Yao Shuren’s service, the province’s barbarians now had to look for themselves. Few of them liked the ruthless rule of their overlord, stuck under a governor they saw as nothing but another violent warlord (even if Yao Shuren did try to placate them by using Mo Jie’s more conciliatory approach). Now that he was outside of the province, Qiang barbarians decided to strike and get rid of him for good. The leader of their movement was a man named Shangshu. Like Ma Teng before him, Shangshu was a Qiang who had started his career in the service of the Chinese occupiers before changing side. As far as Yao Shuren was concerned, Shangshu was a perfect example of barbarians being integrated into the local military structure. But Shangshu instead used this position to rally his people against the Governor. With almost five thousand Qiang warriors, Shangshu stormed the provincial capital in the middle of a night in March 203.

When Shangshu and his men entered the city, everyone panicked. Thankfully, Yao Shuren’s wife Lady Cheng Lihua had just returned from a trip to her husband’s side with the concubines (Yao Shuren still sought every opportunity to produce a son). Because of this, they had yet to empty their luggage, making them ready to flee at the first signs of troubles. Along with them were many members of the government that managed to make it out, head of which was Duan Zuo. The greedy scholar tried to save as much of the treasury as possible before it could be seized by the rebellious barbarians. Tellingly, he left the content of the new library behind. Thankfully, it was saved by Shangshu, who was something of a studious man himself. In their flight, Duan Zuo offered to Lady Cheng and her companions to come seek refuge in his commandery, hoping to ingratiate himself to Yao Shuren by doing so. Lady Cheng instead chose to make her way to Wuwei Commandery, which was controlled by Mo Jie. She had known the architect for more than a decade now, and had been especially close to him after he helped her marry Yao Shuren. For his part, Mo Jie was not even aware of what was happening when she showed up at his doorstep, and was saddened to learn that the barbarians had resorted to violence.

Yao Shuren was pretty infuriated when he learned of this. He now had to race back home to dislodge those damn barbarians from his provincial capital. He cursed the day he ever gave a post to Shangshu. He ordered Xu Shu, his Chief Censor, to deal with all the lingering issues of the recent revolt in Sili Province as he made his way back west. Xu Shu had proven loyal during the revolt, which was why he trusted him enough to leave him in charge. So Yao Shuren led his army back out of Sili Province, accompanied by Xu Chu and the always trustworthy Hu Zhen. However, they soon faced an unexpected problem in the unsanitary state of their army camps, allowing the spread of consumption among the men and officers. Yao Shuren caught it first, with Hu Zhen and and Xu Chu also showing symptoms as of early April. This put a lot of pressure on everyone.

Although his physician did a good job slowing the disease, Yao Shuren could see the danger of his failing health. While his companions had only a mild case of consumption, the Governor proved less lucky. As they advanced, it was becoming increasingly clear that he was not at full strength, often spending most of the day resting and fighting the disease. Soon enough, he started to think of the eventuality of his demise. What would happen if he died before reaching the barbarians? The army was advancing so slowly due to disease that this was a real possibility. He still remembered the way Niu Fu’s soldiers had risen up after his death while commanding the Imperial Army. Unwilling to let this happen, he decided to leave the command of the campaign to someone else while he joined his court (which had mostly followed his wife to Mo Jie’s home). Needing an energetic and motivated man to fight this campaign, he turned to Xu Chu and appointed him Commandant, with orders to crush the rebels. “Slaughter them if you must, as long as it is the last rebellion in our lifetime.” he told the new Commandant. Still, Xu Chu was a new addition to his staff, so he sent the old Hu Zhen with the express order of handling things if he was to pass away before the end of the revolt. He didn’t want Xu Chu to do like the officers of Niu Fu had done.

Now accompanied only by a small guard, he was able to race to Wuwei Commandery, where he was given a glorious welcome by Mo Jie. Mo Jie even gave him his personal quarters, settling for a far smaller room instead. Soon after his arrival, Yao Shuren got news that made him panic about his current state even more. His wife Lady Cheng was pregnant with his child due to their recent time together. However, this was proving an exceptionally difficult pregnancy, taking a big toll on her health. It gave her husband multiple scares, as he didn’t want to have to live the horror of losing another pregnant wife. His thoughts now wandered to the wife of Guo Si who had fled after her husband’s death. Was she still alive? What about her child? Would this be the fate of his wife if he died before she gave birth? Those were worrying thoughts. He quickly sent orders to Xu Shu to prepare himself to ensure stability in the province “if the worst was to happen”. He also had members of his court that weren’t already present like Duan Zuo join him in Wuwei Commandery. Just to be safe.

While all this was happening, a newcomer arrived to the Liang court in July. Cheng Pu had been a loyal companion of Sun Jian for most of his life, even following him after he was defeated by Yuan Shu and lost everything. But during the previous year he found himself separated from his old friend, with the belief that Sun Jian might have perished as they got separated. The heavily scarred hero, now with no home of his own, decided to travel the world in search of a new master. This eventually led him to Liang Province, where he offered his services to Yao Shuren. Always happy to welcome competent subordinates, the sick Governor still demanded an oath of loyalty in exchange of a place at his court. While Cheng Pu felt offended by this at first, he did give the oath, for which he was appointed Magistrate of Hanguguan.

While the army advanced on the provincial capital, Hu Zhen kept Yao Shuren continuously informed on the daily situation, and his words made the Governor frown. It seems that Xu Chu, while an excellent warrior and commander, was not the best leader. His harsh treatment of the men and his angry responses when they didn’t meet his expectations clearly caused tensions. Power also seemed to have quickly got to his head. While Hu Zhen didn’t feel like this would be the source of any revolt, he did have to step in to remind the Commandant of their duties. Violence seemed to be the default solution for Xu Chu, with all the drawbacks this entailed. When they finally met the forces of Shangshu, who still occupied the provincial capital. The battle took place in October outside the city. On Yao Shuren’s order, Hu Zhen took command of the battle, which infuriated Xu Chu. The battle was a bloodied affair, but the larger army of Liang veterans overtook the barbarians.

The defeat destroyed any hope of a barbarian victory. While most of the rebel army broke rank and lost all cohesion, Shangshu and a few hundred of his supporters rushed back in the provincial capital. Which is when Xu Chu ordered an attack on the city in an attempt to find all the enemies and have them killed. This bloody search did result in the death of all the rebels, but also in a violent sack. The library, which had been left intact by Shangshu, was now destroyed by Yao Shuren’s own troops. Hu Zhen, who had the job of stopping such excesses, had one of his bouts of raging insanity, making him unable to rein in the troops. When Yao Shuren learned of this, he was furious, and seriously considered having Xu Chu killed. He eventually abandoned the idea, as losing such a competent subordinate would be a waste. Still, there was no way Xu Chu would remain Commandant for long after such blunder.

With his provincial capital in need of reparations, the sickly Governor once again considered the idea of moving his seat of power to the Western Imperial Capital of Chang’an. He certainly had the perfect excuse now, thanks to Xu Chu. But considering how it had just risen in revolt against him, it might not have been fully purged of enemies. So instead, he continued to have his court in Mo Jie’s home for the time being, with the architect all too happy to have him. And besides, Yao Shuren had happier things to focus on. After long months of painful pregnancy, Lady Cheng finally gave birth to her child in November 203. To her husband joy, the child proved to be a long-awaited son, receiving the name of Yao Xiu. Yao Shuren finally had an heir. Yes, he was a baby, but at least his followers had an immediate candidate to replace him if the disease killed him. A son, at last.

While most of the barbarian rebels had been found and killed, a good number of them managed to escape. Some joined the Qinghaixi Khaganate of Cheliji Khagan, some offered their services to Gongsun Zan, while others fled to one of the Di tribes on Liang Province’s southern border. A few even joined Budugen the Great, although they were sent back as cut off heads to Yao Shuren, as a sign of their good relationships. Considering how Gongsun Zan had just emerged victorious of his neighbor Lü Bu, Yao Shuren felt that it wouldn’t be safe to tackle the hornet nest in his current condition. Cheliji Khagan was also a problem he did not want to deal with right now. The Di tribes were another affair. While Dan Shu and his tribesmen were longtime tributaries of Liang Province, Li Doumao had been proving a bit too defiant. His welcoming of former rebels was the last straw, and he was presented with an ultimatum. He could either submit (submit, not become tributary) or be annihilated. After consulting with his fellow chieftain Dan Shu, Li Doumao agreed to become a subject of Yao Shuren, consoling himself in the fact that he at least kept control of his tribe.

Brutal reprisals against barbarians who had supported the revolt, which was suppose to put an end to this problem, actually led to a new revolt in December. This time it was led by one of Yao Shuren’s subordinates, the former Liang rebel Qu Yan. During his years as a rebel, Qu Yan had garnered a reputation as a selfish, envious and sometimes problematic man, who often hindered the rebel cause more than he helped it. Which made it all the more ironic that Qu Yan had by now taken the banner of Han Sui’s cause of a free Liang, where barbarians and Chinese could live in peace without tyranny. His time under Yao Shuren had completely changed his outlet on life, developing an ever-growing disgust for the ruthlessness of his new liege ever since he abandoned Han Sui in 198. While he had not been satisfied with his leadership for a while, Qu Yan decided that the squashing of the barbarian revolt was the last straw. He did his best to save as many of them by hiding them in his commandery, but there was just so much he could do.

Remembering how Mo Jie cared about the people of the province, Qu Yan sent a letter to his former rebel companion, hoping to get him to join his side. With Yao Shuren in his court, they could easily overthrow the tyrant and save the province once and for all! This was their chance to achieve Han Sui’s dream, their chance at freedom! But by now Mo Jie had served in Yao Shuren’s service for half a decade, during which he had been treated well and had been listened to. His hopes of saving the people of Liang now laid in changing things from the inside, which would be the path that led to the least bloodshed. So instead of immediately mustering the banners of rebellion, Mo Jie brought the letter to Yao Shuren and timidly asked that Qu Yan be given leniency. What Yao Shuren caught from Mo Jie’s pleas was more among the lines of “Qu Yan is revolting and you need to deal with this fast.”

While he had yet to recuperate, Yao Shuren believed that he needed to be there to ensure the efficiency of a quick response. Considering how things had gone with the barbarian revolt, it seemed safer to take a more direct control over this campaign. He also decided to finally fire Xu Chu as Commandant, a position he had held for about half a year. Xu Chu was to harass with Qu Yan with small raids to occupy him until the main army could arrive. As for the new Commandant, Yao Shuren decided to put his trust into Cheng Pu, who had a good reputation as an efficient and calm commander, the last part being the one Yao Shuren valued the most right now. As the two men left with two thousand troops, Hu Zhen was ordered to protect the court. If something happened to him on campaign, Hu Zhen was probably the most loyal general he could leave with his newborn son. Better safe than sorry.

The harassment tactic worked, as Qu Yan was unable to leave his territories to go on the offensive. Xu Chu had spent years as a bandit, making him an expert in these small hit-and-run assaults. The supply of Qu Yan was especially endangered, to the point that the rebels started to simply hole themselves in their walled cities and wait. To this was added the unexpected raids of Cheliji Khagan. The Qiang horsemen had often been held off by Qu Yan, who did everything to stop them from hurting his people. Now that he was occupied, the Khagan saw an opportunity and took it. His pillaging certainly weakened the rebels and forced them even more on the defensive, although Yao Shuren was not happy when he heard the news. All he saw was his lands being raided by barbarians, all because some idiot decided to revolt.

A battle finally took place in early April, as Yao Shuren and Cheng Pu marched against Qu Yan home base of Xiping. This had been his base before he was even forced to join Han Sui, an area he had been controlling for seventeen years. Qu Yan hoped that this would motivate his followers to win, as they were defending their home. While some of his advisors suggested that he hide in the city, Qu Yan refused. He would go fight for his people, for everyone in Liang that deserved freedom from Yao Shuren. He thus led his troops into a terrible defeat which ended with his capture. After one battle and five meager months, the rebellion had been crushed. As always, Yao Shuren made no quarters of those that had rebelled against him. Qu Yan was executed with his officers, and an official appointed by the Governor replaced him as administrator of Jingcheng Commandery. He had finally stood up for others, and the result had been his death.

Satisfied, Yao Shuren returned to Wuwei Commandery one last time, as the provincial capital was now on its way to being repaired. There he had Mo Jie summoned to him. The former rebelled had proved extremely reliable this past year. Mo Jie had shielded his family from the barbarian rebels, had helped him to establish his court in Wuwei Commandery and even sided with him over his former rebel comrade, going as far as telling Yao Shuren about the revolt before anyone else could. This deserved a reward. Mo Jie’s wife Ma Yunlu had just given birth to a daughter, Mo Xiaowen. Yao Shuren decided that she would be betroth to his five months old son, ensuring a tie between their families. But this was not the only reward. For his loyal service, Mo Jie was appointed Assistant Administrator, making him Yao Shuren’s righthand man in Liang Province. The position had been mostly vacant since the fall of Wang Hong the previous year, and it was high time someone took the job. Suddenly showered by favors from his liege, Mo Jie could do nothing other than accept these honors, cementing his place as a loyal follower of the Governor. He had gone from a rebel to a member of Yao Shuren’s inner circle. Not bad, for a man who could barely talk.

 

[Bibliophile]

Good for Mo Jie. It’s very unusual in this story for genuinely good characters to rise up the ranks without becoming worse people or dead (like Qu Yan just now demonstrated) along the way, but Mo Jie has managed to do so with moral compass intact… into the position he is least qualified for. Decisions like these make me suspect Yao Shuren never realized how horrible Mo Jie is at speaking in an understandable way. I do recall that in all the times Mo Jie actually talked with Yao Shuren, Yao never actually had it clarified that Mo Jie usually meant something other than what Yao thought he said.

 

[Zamarak500]

Good for Mo Jie. It’s very unusual in this story for genuinely good characters to rise up the ranks without becoming worse people or dead (like Qu Yan just now demonstrated) along the way, but Mo Jie has managed to do so with moral compass intact… into the position he is least qualified for. Decisions like these make me suspect Yao Shuren never realized how horrible Mo Jie is at speaking in an understandable way. I do recall that in all the times Mo Jie actually talked with Yao Shuren, Yao never actually had it clarified that Mo Jie usually meant something other than what Yao thought he said.

To be fair, I doubt Yao Shuren is the kind to share much actual power with his Assistant Administrator. But yeah, Mo Jie would have probably been better if he had been given back his job as Chief Clerk.

And I don't think anyone in Yao Shuren's inner circle really gets that Mo Jie speaks wrong, safe for his wife Lady Cheng, since she was previously married to the rebel Chenggong Ying.

 

[The Meme King]

Is that a potential Zhang Yan and Xiao Ru team up I see at the end? This will either go really well or really horribly (knowing Xiao Ru’s luck, probably a weird mixture of both).

Shit now i am even MORE excited for the Zhuge Liang revenge arc.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank you for the update. Zhang Yan moves on with his bottle

 

[Midnite Duke]

Mo Jie does some things well, one thing excellently but being a diplomat is NOT in his wheelhouse.

 

[Bibliophile]

Shit now i am even MORE excited for the Zhuge Liang revenge arc.

That will definitely be interesting if it happens. The child going down an increasingly dark path in the name of avenging his father. Meanwhile the target of his vengeance is slowly accruing power and allies. I wonder if Xiao Ru even remembers having Zhuge Gui assassinated?

I also wonder if Zhuge Liang will actually attempt to carry out his revenge? He’s already fallen to the lure of banditry to accrue the means of his vengeance. Maybe he will gradually put off his revenge until he can’t even remember what drove him down this path in the first place and becomes just another power hungry warlord.

If he does finally seek his revenge, I wonder what will be left for him if he succeeds. He has cast off friends, family, and his own morals in his quest for vengeance. He spent years of his life plotting revenge. What will be left for him if he does kill Xiao Ru?

 

[Zamarak500]

202-204: WHAT TO DO IN PEACE?​

Yuan Shu had finally defeated all his enemies for control of Yingchuan Commandery. Many had tried to invade it, and a few managed to take it, but only he was able to hold it. The great Yuan Shu! Normally he would be celebrating his great accomplishment. After all, he had won! But instead, he waited for an answer from the capital about the subjugation of Xiao Ru. And he waited, and waited, and waited…But Jiang Xian managed to make the issue disappear. This enraged Yuan Shu. How dared this tall idiot stop his ambitions? He was just some courtier who was at the right place at the right time! Yuan Shu should be the power behind the throne, not Jiang Xian! He was extremely tempted to go take his revenge, but realized that this would not turn well for him with Liu Siyuan on his southern border. If he moved against Luoyang, the scion of the Han was sure to come to the capital’s aid, and even Xiao Ru might join in. And if he attacked Xiao Ru? Who knew if this war would turn well, especially since he didn’t trust Feng Zian more than he had to. Better play it safe.

Talking of Feng Zian, he was ordered to stay in Yingchuan Commandery to ensure that his lord’s authority was enforced. Officially, this was because all the garrisons had to be filled and the change of regime had to be cemented. The real reason was just that Yuan Shu was getting suspicious of Feng Zian (again) and didn’t want him to return home with his army yet. Of course, this was all fine by Feng Zian. As Commandant, he felt that it was his duty to help integrate the territories he had conquered. And besides, he had already spent a few years in the region on campaign, making him the most knowledgeable member of Yuan Shu’s court on the commandery. For better or worse, everyone knew him, and he would make sure that everyone obeyed orders from their new lords. His notoriety and his time in Yingchuan Commandery even allowed him to build a few contacts in the region.

The most powerful local to have grown close to Feng Zian was Magistrate Zhang Cheng of of Yangcheng. A hardworking, zealous and scholarly man who was honest when needed, Zhang Cheng had been appointed all the way back during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. His long time in Yangcheng left him respected by the local population even though he wasn’t particularly good at his job. He seemed like an unlikely ally for the Commandant, yet he proved his greatest support in the commandery. This was due to the fact that Zhang Cheng had been a great supporter of Ban Ning before he was replaced by Sun Jian, leaving him at odds with the famous colonel. Considering how Feng Zian also had a terrible relationship with Sun Jian, the two men quickly found themselves siding with one another. Zhang Cheng was all too happy to see Sun Jian being expulsed of the region and welcomed Feng Zian with open arms. His support was certainly a good thing, considering how Feng Zian was not exactly a great talker.

With Feng Zian and Zhang Cheng doing their duties in the north, Yuan Shu started to wonder if it had been a good idea to leave his main general away from court with his army. Thankfully, he did not linger on the decision for long, in part because he had decided of this himself and he couldn’t possibly be wrong in any way, but also because he had a far bigger issue on his hands. Because he had put all his efforts into the many wars over the years, his lands hadn’t been well cared for. The Chief Clerk Tan Zilong did his best to help the Yuan Clan recover from all the wars, but there was just so much he could do with Feng Zian bullying Yuan Shu for more military spending over the years. With Yuan Shu just as much afraid of his Commandant as he was suspicious of him, this meant that the peasants did not receive much from their lord. And now merchants within Yuan Shu’s capital were starting to feel oppressed by the man’s oppression. Using their wealth to hire disgruntled peasants and bandits, those merchants eventually managed to organize a popular uprising all over Wan County in September 202.

While the main uprising in the local capital turned out to be a bust, although a bloody one, the rebels were able to take over some of the neighboring cities. This spooked Yuan Shu quite a lot. Even though his own city was still under his control, he had no desire to experience a siege once more, choosing to flee in panic instead. The issue was that most of the army was still in Yingchuan Commandery with Feng Zian, leaving only local garrisons under the control of the Chief Clerk to respond to the rebellion. As soon as he learned of what was happening, Tan Zilong was quick to organize a response. By the time Yuan Shu arrived to the safety of his second-in-command, the Chief Clerk already had troops readied and was preparing to march on the rebel strongholds. Yuan Shu was quick to praise Tan Zilong and offered him the position of Commandant right then and there, as he was ready to save him unlike that snake Feng Zian. The Chief Clerk wisely refused the new post, as he was unwilling to be the cause of another dispute between his lord and the anger prone Commandant. Instead, he focused on fighting the revolt, and by mid-November finally crushed the last rebel stronghold. Yuan Shu was quick to organize celebrations for this, with invitations for people all over his territories. Showing how petty he could be, Feng Zian did not receive an invitation.

But while Yuan Shu didn’t invite his Commandant to the celebrations, he did want him to come back. After the incident of the recent revolt, Yuan Shu was getting more and more paranoid about his safety. He wanted the troops back home and wanted them as fast as possible. The goal was now to leave a skeleton crew behind to garrison the commandery and make sure that Yuan Shu’s authority was respected. Other than that, the rest of the troops would return home with their Commandant. When someone asked who would be left in charge, Yuan Shu dismissingly mentioned that local official who was helping Feng Zian. Zhang Cheng, was it? Yes, he could surely do the job just fine.

Now knowing that his time away from home would soon come to an end, Feng Zian decided to finally have some fun with local women. He left his temporary house on a few occasions to go to the local brothels, but something fell off. It was as if two pairs of eyes were watching him from behind… It’s only when he reached the brothels that he realized (each time) that two bipedal little creatures had been following him, quickly feeding off his joy. He had tried his best to have his sons sent off home. The youngest Feng Guo even agreed with him, having no love for the army life (unlike his older brother Feng Yong loving every moment of it). After all, messengers came in and out from Yuan Shu’s court, so surely one of them could take them off his back. But none of the envoys wanted to be the one who would have to explain to his wife that Feng Zian had refused to take care of the two boys.

So he was stuck with them, trying to find any way to distract his sons. The problem was that they liked fundamentally different things. Feng Yong loved being with the soldiers, doing the hard work and training to fight, to the point that he became quite vocal about his desire to have a military career like his father. Meanwhile, Feng Guo seemed to love the pompous life of court, which explained his desire to return home as fast as possible to enjoy all the big events and the best clothes. Neither seemed really interested to become a scholar, which was the path that their father wanted for them. His efforts to force his sons into his lifestyle seem to have driven a wedge between them, and when they finally returned to Yuan Shu’s court in April 203 the three of them did not have the best relationship. Of the three of them, only Feng Yong made an effort to improve things, but his younger brother’s continuous complains and his father’s angry pride stopped him from making any progress.

In June 203, Yuan Shu was made aware of an infuriating news. It seemed that after a lengthy correspondence, Xiao Ru had been appointed as the governor of the newly created Chen Province. This angered Yuan Shu for multiple reasons. Obviously, this meant that the new governor did not have to submit to his neighbor anymore. But more importantly, it technically meant that Yuan Shu was now Xiao Ru’s inferior in the Han bureaucratic hierarchy. For all his power, his authority over his territories was not official, his actual position being that of Administrator of Nanyang Commandery. And even that had been acquired dubiously, as he took it over after having the previous administrator killed by Sun Jian in 190. This was an unacceptable situation, one that needed to be rectified as fast as possible! But the only position higher than Governor was that of Chancellor. Yuan Shu clearly wished to march on Luoyang and make Jiang Xian pay for his slight, but his advisors pointed him the most obvious problem to that: Governor Yao Shuren of Liang. The man’s territories were just as close to the capital as theirs, and there was no way he would allow Yuan Shu to make a move. Yao Shuren was all too happy to let this remain a stalemate for now, and Yuan Shu knew it. If only that brat could get distracted, then he could make his move…

While Zhang Cheng was not known for being exactly great at his job, he was proving just fine in the duty of watching over the newly conquered areas. Yuan Shu had honestly expected him to fail badly, as Feng Zian had exaggerated his own part in the recent management of Yingchuan Commandery. But as it turned out, Zhang Cheng kept the region controlled without the need of the Commandant. Impressed, and all too happy to promote someone that wasn’t Feng Zian. By the end of the year, Zhang Cheng was appointed Administrator of Yingchuan Commandery a great honor that ensured the official continuous loyalty. Soon after this promotion, Yuan Shu started to chip some of his own troops to send them to Zhang Cheng, slowly diminishing the military strength of Feng Zian. And the Commandant never noticed how he was being weakened right under his nose…

But Feng Zian had other issues to deal with. He was mostly stuck into the duties of finding good partners for his older children, most importantly his daughter Feng Yunxian. She needed a fiancée soon so she could get married, and Feng Zian would make sure that she got the best damn marriage possible. Ironically, he proved something of a papa bear when it came to his daughters, at least when it came to their honors. He promised Feng Yunxian that if any idiot ever got her pregnant, than he would force that bastard to honor her through marriage (which is ironically how he got married himself). Thankfully, this did not come to that. For all his disputes with Yuan Shu, Feng Zian had a great relationship with Tan Zilong, and the two soon entered into talks about the possibility of a union between their clans. It was eventually decided in early 204 that Feng Yunxian would get betroth to Tan Zilong’s eldest son, Tan Huo, a deal that pleased both men quite well.

But Yuan Shu wasn’t please by this betrothal. No, what he saw was his two most powerful underlings forming an alliance, an alliance that could then be turned against him. And it made him panicked. The lord of the Yuan Clan had a plan, however, one that might just work. He soon summoned Feng Zian at court, now ready to demote him for good. But he knew from experience that he couldn’t just fire his Commandant, as that had gone terribly before. Instead, he thanked him for his services and told him that he had other duties for him, moving him from Commandant to Magistrate of Xinye in May 204. He even explained that he needed Feng Zian to focus on guarding the southern border with Liu Siyuan, which meant that the scholar wouldn’t have time for it. Surprisingly, it worked, with Feng Zian taking his new post as magistrate and Zhang Cheng being appointed as Commandant. Yuan Shu could only smile at his own genius. What a great man he was.

 

[Bibliophile]

Yuan Shu strikes me as a case of small name big ego. He is exactly as petty as Xiao Ru, if not more so, but the difference is that Xiao Ru has more successes under his belt than Yuan Shu. Sure Yuan Shu has gained successes, but those successes feel like they were more his subordinate’s successes than his own. Xiao Ru, for better or for worse, usually can claim his success by his own merits more often than not. The fact that I view Xiao Ru, who I have previously expressed great dislike for, as more worthy of praise than Yuan Shu (even though both are primarily their own hype men) feels telling of how little respect Yuan Shu has truly earned.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Some puffed up toads jumping around each other. Thank you for updating

 

[Zamarak500]

203-204: THE HERO AGAINST THE BARBARIANS​

Liu Siyuan had secured his control of Jing Province following his victory of the rebels. After years of dreaming of it, he now had the Han loyalist stronghold he needed to save the Dynasty. Rebels had been arrested, enemies had been executed, and Liu Siyuan now stood triumphant. But there was still one issue to deal with, and that was those damn barbarians trying to invade his province. Huang Rang was still trying to take lands from Jing Province, even now that the civil war was over. The scion of the Han had a hard time understanding why, but then again how could he understand why a barbarian thought it a good idea to attack him in the first place. How dare he think he could stand in the way of the Han Dynasty’s resurgence? Liu Siyuan would make sure that this barbarian chieftain got a lesson he would remember for the rest of his life.

While he had fought the entirety of the revolt on his own (with some help at times from his Commandant Qu Duyi), this time Liu Siyuan decided to bring generals to fight by his side. His decision was mostly motivated by his secured position in the province. Before, he would have feared what would happen if he allowed others to command troops in the middle of a civil war, but now that he was unchallenged it could prove useful to use his many competent generals. However, his choice was once again motivated by paranoia, as he only picked officers who he was starting to get distrustful of. First was his predecessor, the strategist Yang Weili. Liu Siyuan had never stopped being suspicious of him, even if his current fortune wouldn’t have been possible without the man. But while he didn’t trust his intentions, he did trust his military talents. So what better way to solve his worries than keep him around for this campaign? In that same mentality, Liu Siyuan decided to bring Li Tong with him. Even if he had given him his county back, Liu Siyuan still felt like his subordinate was up to no good. Leaving such a competent commander behind would be risky, maybe even dangerous. Better to bring him along on campaign.

Su Ta, the Assistant Administrator and the only officer Liu Siyuan still fully trusted, tried to convince his liege that he should come too. He pleaded his lord that he would be more useful as a general than an administrator. He had little idea how to rule, and did not want this responsibility. Let Jiang Gong be in charge of the province instead, he had always been loyal! Or maybe one of his new subordinates, like Bu Baoxun or Liu Qi? But Liu Siyuan refused. Those two had their own duties to perform, and he didn’t want to give any of them more power than needed. As for Jiang Gong, the suggestion enraged him, and he angrily shouted that this was Su Ta’s duty and not Jiang Gong’s. While the general tried to point out that Jiang Gong had always worked in the best interests of his lord, Liu Siyuan refused to listen. He left Su Ta in charge of the province in his absence. His subordinate could only wonder why his lord was so paranoid of loyal officials.

Whatever fears Liu Siyuan had that Yang Weili and Li Tong would conspire against him proved unfounded, mostly because of their fundamentally opposed personalities. Not to say that they hated each other’s, but it wasn’t great friendship either. Li Tong, always the hardworking and fervent man, quickly took a dislike to the strategist’s more relaxed approach to everything. While Li Tong always kept his affairs tediously organized with only the strict necessary, Yang Weili’s tent was so disorganized it was difficult to distinguish trash from important documents. This actually made Liu Siyuan so angry at one point that he ordered Yang Weili tent burned, only for the smell of the actual garbage in it to spread throughout the camp. Li Tong was a man of action, and while Yang Weili had become increasingly courageous on the battlefield, he still valued studious strategy over on-the-fly tactics. Still, both were excellent commanders, and they did their best to work together for their eventual confrontation with the barbarians.

A battle finally took place in August, although the situation was a bit strange. While the barbarian army of Huang Rang was pillaging villages, it was clear that they were fleeing something. Li Tong advised that they should try to understand the situation before attacking, but Liu Siyuan refused. The barbarians were attacking the villages now! Something had to be done! The Governor ordered his troops to launch an assault on the barbarians” With Li Tong wanting to get back into his liege’s good graces and Yang Weili trying to prove his worth to Liu Siyuan, none of the commanders stood back for this assault. Huang Rang was clearly taken by surprise at this, although he was able to mount a surprisingly good resistance. While the barbarians had almost three times less men, they only had slightly worse losses than the Jing forces. After pushing back Huang Rang, Liu Siyuan decided to move against the unprotected barbarian territories. But while they were unprotected, they were not empty.

Huang Rang original plan had been to take advantage of the Jing civil war to expand into the province. But what he hadn’t expected was that someone else would take advantage of this to attack him. In early 203, Yang Province started to muster its troops, ready to invade. As it turned out, Lu Xun was edging for an offensive war after his success against Hu Zhan in 202. He was also getting increasingly suspicious of his powerful neighbors, who he feared might take advantage of Yang Province’s weakened situation to invade. His Commandant and main advisor, the former Yellow Turban Sima Juhe, was also suspicious of Tao Shang, who he feared would call upon Tan Zhihan to retake his lost province. While the Commandant suggested an invasion of Hu Zan, Lu Xun refused, as he had sworn a peace until 204 with Hu Zan and would he damned if he didn’t honor it. Even when Sima Juhe pointed out that Hu Zan’s whole goal was to take his lands, the Governor didn’t budge. So Sima Juhe directed his young liege toward another easy target to expand, the barbarian Huang Rang.

Their army was clearly weakened by the years of civil wars, as they only managed to field less than two thousand men, scraps compared to the thousands Yang Weili could field in 198. Still, this was larger than what Huang Rang had at the time, especially as not every tribesmen were ready to come to his defense. Once again, Lu Xun led the troops personally, with Sima Juhe by his side to advise him. While most had been fearful of his lack of experience early on, his victories against Hu Zan had proven to his men that he was a great commander, and his troops cheered at the idea of having him lead them. A battle took place Fuhuai, where Lu Xun launched a series of ruthless assaults on the barbarians, surprising them with his burning ferocity. They eventually fled, which led them to flee into Jing Province. They were actually replenishing their ranks and being joined by reinforcements when they Liu Siyuan fell upon them.

When they entered barbarian territories, the Jing troops came face to face with the Yang army besieging their enemies. The realization of the other army’s presence was followed by a full month of silent tensions, neither side fully sure what the other would do. Things weren’t help by the presence of Yang Weili, who had been overthrown by Lu Xun’s father Lu Jun only two years before. And if the Jing forces attacked, they would have the numerical advantage, leaving the Yang soldiers nervous and fearful. Both Liu Siyuan and Lu Xun were paranoid of the other’s intentions, hesitant to make the first move. In the end, it was the Jing side that finally sent an envoy (with a heavily armed escort) to talk. After a few rounds of discussion, both sides agreed that they didn’t need to bother each other’s. If Yang Province took the territories he wanted, Huang Rang would be left weakened. Lu Xun swore an oath to not hinder Liu Siyuan, as long as he was allowed to take some lands, to which Liu Siyuan agreed. The Jing forces retired to their province and waited for Lu Xun to finish his war. By early December, Yang Province had conquered Anfu County and returned home.

But Huang Rang had not been idle as his domain was being halved. In a desperate attempt to hinder Liu Siyuan, the waring chieftain was able to convince barbarians in the south of Jing Province to revolt against their Chinese oppressors. He promised that they would link up and drive off Liu Siyuan, even though he had no idea how he would reach them. He barbarians rose up a week after Lu Xun’s finished his campaign, taking over a few cities in Lingling Commanderies in the process. He Shimin, the local administrator, quickly signaled this to Liu Siyuan. He Shimin was 71, an old man by any standards. He was the brother of the late He Xiaolong, the former regent of Yi Province, and the father of He Jintao, the friend and Commandant of Tan Zhihan in Qing Province. While just as competent as them, his career had stalled for years, and only recently had he risen up to the rank of administrator when he replaced Chen Chengguo after his execution. In an effort to ingratiate himself to his lord, He Shimin raised troops to link up with the main army, even going as far as command the troops himself.

But it wasn’t the combined force of He Shimin and Liu Siyuan that reached the barbarians first, but a small force led by Commandant Qu Duyi. Already in the south per his lord’s orders, Qu Duyi quickly assembled an army of five hundred men from the local garrisons and raced to defend the region from the barbarian rebels. Soon enough, he was forced on the defensive, and his remaining forces retreated in a fort to hold out against their enemies. By February 204, Qu Duyi was not only stressed and demoralized, but the whole fort was suffering from Slow Fever. Yet he still held. Thankfully, Liu Siyuan and He Shimin arrived by the middle of the month and crushed the rebels in one fell swoop. The Governor was highly impressed by Qu Duyi, which allowed the Commandant to join the exclusive ranks of trusted subordinates of Liu Siyuan. He also promoted He Shimin as an advisor on his council, seeing use in the old man. As for the barbarians, they were all slaughtered as examples for other tribes. Better to send a clear message.

While all this was happening, Su Ta was forced to stay in Xincai, hearing of all the brutal repression his lord was inflicting on his enemies. Su Ta had on many occasions been critical of his lord’s lack of control and paranoia, trying to rein him in his impulses. But over the recent years, the general had started to realize that he was no longer serving the righteous hero he once pledged his loyalty to. The massacrer of the rebellious barbarians, with some overzealous soldiers even burning villages, proved the tipping point. After hearing of this, Su Ta decided that he simply couldn’t continue to serve under Liu Siyuan and decided to leave in March. As he left, he was intercepted by Jiang Gong, who asked him what he was doing. Su Ta simply said “I cannot continue to fight in good conscience when my strength is used wrongly.” Jiang Gong, who had also noticed the downward spiral of his liege, allowed Su Ta to flee with his family, promising to explain and sweeten the news to Liu Siyuan in person. Su Ta thus abandoned Liu Siyuan, instead going to serve under a magistrate in Ji Province. He would remain there until his death in 208 from deteriorating health.

As promised, Jiang Gong rode south to go tell his liege about the situation. It took him a few weeks to make it to their camp, as the Jing forces were still making their ways to Huang Rang’s territories. He arrived in the middle of a meal, Liu Siyuan eating some rice with his chopsticks as the strategist entered. When asked what he was doing here, Jiang Gong informed his liege of Su Ta’s departure and the reasons why the general had left. After hearing this, Liu Siyuan stood up, approached Jiang Gong and then stabbed him in the eyes with his chopsticks. Jiang Gong fell to the ground in pain as everyone else watched in horror. Liu Siyuan started to shout at him before finally calling upon his guards. The Governor ordered them to castrate Jiang Gong outside as “such a failure of a subordinate does not deserve to produce a descendance!” Just after being blinded, the oldest follower of Liu Siyuan was thus castrated and thrown out, left alone outside camp. Yang Weili, taking pity on the man, decided to take him in. He would eventually be sent to Yang Weili’s domain and taken care of as best as possible, since Liu Siyuan had no longer any use for him. For all his years of loyalty, Jiang Gong was now casted aside to be forgotten.

Su Ta’s departure also meant that a new Assistant Administrator had to be appointed. At first, Liu Siyuan approached the old He Shimin, who had proven loyal and competent in his dealing of the barbarian revolt. However, showing that he wasn’t as ambitious as his brother, the old man politely declined, feeling that he was too old to take over such an important task. He felt that his age put the position at risk (a valid worry, as he would die the following year). Still, this left Liu Siyuan frustrated, and it took him a few weeks before he decided to offer the position to someone else. This time it went to the young Administrator Wei Kang of Jiangxia Commandery, who Liu Siyuan had appointed to the position the previous year. He was a content man with no ambitions and quite well liked, which made him perfect for the job. Still, the Governor couldn’t stop himself from feeling unease as Yang Weili voiced his complete support for the appointment. After all, he was the one who started Wei Kang’s career in 198, and so was happy to see him rise through the ranks. Needless to say, Liu Siyuan started to wonder if he hadn’t made the wrong choice almost immediately.

After all these internal problems dealt with, Liu Siyuan finally marched on Huang Rang’s territories. It quickly became clear that the barbarian had little to send against them, making the few remaining months of the war ridiculously easy for the Jing forces. For example, in one battle in June, Huang Rang lost the entirety of his army while Liu Siyuan lost only four men. Victory was all but assured, and no one could stand against it. By August, Huang Rang finally had enough and offered his surrender, paying Liu Siyuan a massive amount of gold to convince him to leave the barbarians alone. While his anger had not been satiated, the scion of the Han still agreed to end his punitive campaign. After all, he now had a province to rule, and a dynasty to save.

 

[Bibliophile]

Well that scene with Jiang Gong was horrifying. I’m certain that Liu Siyuan’s subordinates are beginning to feel that if Liu Siyuan can do that to one of his longtime loyal followers for this one failure, then what hope do they all have if they should fail him in some way? Fear of punishment is only a powerful motivator when those underneath you feel they have the means to avoid your wrath. Slightly terrified to see where Jing Province goes from here.

 

[Zamarak500]

Well that scene with Jiang Gong was horrifying. I’m certain that Liu Siyuan’s subordinates are beginning to feel that if Liu Siyuan can do that to one of his longtime loyal followers for this one failure, then what hope do they all have if they should fail him in some way? Fear of punishment is only a powerful motivator when those underneath you feel they have the means to avoid your wrath. Slightly terrified to see where Jing Province goes from here.

This was one bloody scene. The goal was to show, just as with Jiang Xian killing the emperor, how far Liu Siyuan had strayed from his original self. Sadly these characters went from the most noble to what they are now (however you consider them).

 

[Midnite Duke]

Liu Siyuan is full speed ahead on the River of Madness! Thank you for the update

 

[Zamarak500]

203-204: THE RISE OF CHEN PROVINCE​

After his annexation of neighboring territories, Xiao Ru immediately proceeded to a reorganization of his council. He felt like it needed fresh blood that he could trust, now more than ever. With the Chief Censor Chunyu Shenxi having slept with one of his concubines (even though he regretted it) and the Assistant Administrator Chang Lin having slept with another of his concubines (which he did not regret), Xiao Ru had good reasons not to trust his main advisors. At this point, the new Governor of Chen Province only wished for loyalty and upmost loyalty. While this might come at the extent of competence, Xiao Ru didn’t care. Besides, it wasn’t as if idiots weren’t already part of his inner circle, so what was that going to change? At least he could rely on these idiots. He thus quickly made the announces of the new appointments, which came to no one surprise considering his frequent tendency to do so.

His first appointment was an old official named Chen Cong, who had previously served under the Prince of Pei before his principality was annexed earlier that year. Chen Cong had left Xiao Ru quite impressed, as he heard that the old official was Liu Qi’s best subordinate. While he would prove disappointed upon meeting the man in person, Xiao Ru still decided that his clear loyalty to his master was good enough to promote him. He appointed Chen Cong Administrator of Pei Commandery as well as the first ever Commandant of Chen Province. The Governor’s second pick was a new addition to the higher ranks of his territories. Ding Yan had risen through Chen from a simple village official to a courtier of his lord, with his talents for intrigue, his military skills and his general knowledge making him a great catch. Even better, he was stubbornly loyal to Xiao Ru, which made him the perfect choice to replace the Prince of Liang (Liu Mi) when he died. Weirdly enough, Ding Yan found himself appointed as Chief Clerk, a post in which he would prove abysmal. It showed that loyalty was all that mattered.

At the same time, Xiao Ru finally concluded his deal with Cao Cao. For a few years now, the two warlords had been in talks about the possibility of a marriage between their children. Xiao Ru in particular hoped that this might eventually lead to an alliance (or maybe even the submission of Cao Cao). However, the legendary colonel was a lot less enthusiastic about this, and with the war against Gongsun Zan raging on, he pushed the whole affair to the sideline. It was only when he returned from that same war that he began to be a lot more open to the idea, seeking a new ally against the threat of Gongsun Zan now that Lü Bu was dead. But by now Xiao Ru felt slighted by the stalling, especially after all the gifts he sent to sweeten the deal were left unanswered. Thankfully for Cao Cao, he knew how to manipulate others to get what he wanted. Soon enough, a marriage was agreed between Cao Cao’s fourth son Cao Zhang and Xiao Ru’s firstborn child and daughter, Xiao Xiaowen. The couple, who were 15 and 12 respectively, were quickly married. While this was celebrated, Cao Cao was annoyed when Xiao Ru refused a full alliance after being snubbed for so long.

But while all this was happening, there was still a war to fight. Since June Xiao Ru had thrown his hat into the mess that was becoming Chenliu Commandery. Ruled by a child named Zhang Rou, the large territory quickly became the target of various invasions from its neighbors, all wishing to take a bite out of it. But Xiao Ru wanted more, a lot more. He didn’t want just a bite; he wanted the whole thing. Even with all those invaders, Chenliu Commandery had surprisingly held out quite well so far. This was in part thanks to the help of it’s greatest general; Dian Wei. Dian Wei was a hero known throughout the region, and easily one of the greatest warriors throughout China (only equaled by Zhang Fei in Ji Province and the late Lü Bu). Dian Wei was the reason Zhang Miao made Chenliu Commandery the strongest state out of former Yan Province, similarly to how Xiao Ru came out as the dominant force in former Yu Province. But then Zhang Miao died in 200 and was replaced by his son Zhang Rou. The regency quickly started to phase out Dian Wei from any position of power, and by the time Xiao Ru invaded he was in charge of a garrison in the north of the province. What a waste of potential.

On the subject of commanders, Xiao Ru had to appoint one for this campaign. Of course, Chang Lin requested to be appointed to the job, as he had greatly helped in the previous campaigns to protect the Prince of Pei. And besides, he was the best commander Xiao Ru had on hand. But the former favorite was now vehemently hated by his liege, and there was no way he would be given command of this campaign. Chang Lin was feeling unwell at the time, which the Governor used as an excuse to refuse him. He could send the Commandant, but Xiao Ru was aware of how terrible this idea was. Anyone else would do a better job at it, really. In the end, his pick to lead the campaign was a conventional one. Gan Bogao was a reliable if standard general who could do the job just fine. The two men weren’t exactly on good term these days though, and Xiao Ru really wished he had someone else to send.

The months went by and Gan Bogao was proving to do a good enough job. He had yet to encounter an enemy army, but he was besieging enemy cities and working his way through what would probably be a long war. Really, any attempt to remove Gan Bogao now would probably fail. But by the end of the year, Xiao Ru was presented with an opportunity to appoint a second general to the campaign. In December 203, the famous Zhang Yan (or infamous, by this point) showed up at the doors of his city, requesting asylum. Accompanied by a small squad of hardcore supporters, Zhang Yan came offering his services, having heard of Xiao Ru’s generosity toward his subordinates. Still, the Governor was no idiot. He understood the situation perfectly, how the former bandit had just failed to take over a province and now sought power in his domain. Neither man trusted the other, and both understood the dangers each of them could represent. But Xiao Ru needed great generals, and Zhang Yan needed a home. Within two weeks, the former bandit was on his way to take command of the left flank of the Chen army, Gan Bogao having managed to retain overall command of the campaign.

At first, Gan Bogao proved welcoming of the newcomer, patiently waiting for Zhang Yan to adapt to his current status before having him help on the campaign. The issue was that Zhang Yan didn’t want to adapt, he wanted to lead. He was also a bit paranoid of Gan Bogao, seeing him as something of a rival for control of the army. Eventually, Gan Bogao started to realize what was happening and did his best to keep Zhang Yan out of decision makings, although the success of this strategy was mixed. On the one hand, he still remained as the overall commander of the army, with Zhang Yan’s fervent Taoist beliefs annoying the other officers more than anything. However, his bravery in battle, even with an eye and a hand missing, bought him the respect of the rank and file. While Gan Bogao did try to be conciliatory, he simply couldn’t find a common ground with Zhang Yan, who had no desire to compromise with his colleague. He saw where that got him in Yang Province, and he didn’t want to live this again.

While the campaign was happening, Xiao Ru was also in negotiations with Yuan Yi, Yuan Shu’s cousin. The Administrator of Shanyang Commandery had great difficulties reining in his own subordinates, which made him sympathetic to Xiao Ru’s plight. Their views also aligned when it came to enforcing the law, which had to be upheld with violence if necessary. As soon as Xiao Ru became Governor of Chen Province, he entered into talks about the possibility of annexing Shanyang Commandery into his territories. This way, both men could help each other. Xiao Ru could ensure that the magistrates of Shanyang Commandery stayed in line, as it was far harder to challenge a powerful governor than a weak administrator. Meanwhile, Yuan Yi could serve as Chief Clerk of the province, ensuring that law was respected and that the administration was efficient. This was a tempting offer, but Yuan Yi still hesitated to surrender his independence. His cousin Yuan Shu also helped slow down the negotiations, writing Yuan Yi letters to advise him to refuse Xiao Ru and not trust him. Xiao Ru still continued, convinced that if he sent enough gifts Yuan Yi would eventually agree to his proposal.

Over the course of 204, the army led by Gan Bogao managed to rack three victories against the Chenliu troops. This was not surprising, as they lacked the numbers to oppose the Chen army. Still, there were rumors that Gan Bogao was not the one who needed to be celebrated for these wins, but instead Zhang Yan. After all, the former bandit had been a key player in every single battle, his strategies working like wonders and ensuring little to no casualties. Thanks to his often-quick thinking on the battlefield, the Chen forces had lost less than ten soldiers in three battles. Meanwhile, Chenliu Commandery had lost more than five hundred men since the war started, and that was only accounting for the deaths on the battlefield. It didn’t help that the newcomer helped spread the rumors himself to undermine his fellow general. While Gan Bogao tried to show kindness by sharing credit for the victories with Zhang Yan, the court saw it as a sign that the former bandit was the one to credit for the successes.

By early July, it seemed that victory would soon be assured. Or at least it would be, if the garrisons led by Dian Wei weren’t posing considerable problems to the Chen forces. Even as he had been discarded to the side, the hero refused to surrender (although he was getting growingly exasperated by the Chenliu leadership). While Chang Lin offered to go lead the troops against him, his health had not yet recovered and he was ignored. Instead, Xiao Ru declared out loud “H-H-H-He will b-b-b…” then took a breath and managed to say “He will be my s-su-su-subordinate! Argh!”, the last part being his frustration at his inability to overcome his stutter. He sent gifts and offers to Dian Wei, promising to appoint him general and to make him a magistrate if he switched side. While Dian Wei initially refused, news of this spread to his liege’s court. The regents, who had always been suspicious of him, accused him of conspiring with the enemy and ordered his arrest. But the troops refused to obey, and instead encouraged their heroic leader to defect. Seeing no other choice, Dian Wei switched side.

The defection of Dian Wei had a ripple effect throughout Chenliu Commandery. Most of the soldiers surrendered their arms, and by early August most of their territories had fallen to Chen control. Panicking, the regents opened negotiation with Xiao Ru in a last-ditch effort to save their skins. They flattered Xiao Ru and offered him tons of gifts, which did sweeten him enough to listen to them. All they wanted was for Zhang Rou to retain control of his territories. If that meant becoming subjects of Chen Province, then this was fine with them. Feeling charitable, Xiao Ru took them on their offer, with the entirety of their territories passing under his control. This massive gain of territories seems to be just what Yuan Yi needed to make his decision. Chen Province was on the ascendant, and he could either stand in its way or join in its good fortune. He chose the latter, submitting almost immediately to Xiao Ru.

But Yuan Yi wasn’t the only one who took notice of Xiao Ru’s expansion. Governor Tao Shang of Xu Province looked at this in fear. His position in the region was already tenuous, but now he had to compete with this upstart, who was clearly not going to stop there. If left unchecked, Xiao Ru might take over the whole region, a prospect that was simply unacceptable to Tao Shang. As soon as he heard that Chenliu Commandery was negotiating a surrender with Xiao Ru, the Governor decided to act. Without consulting with Tan Zhihan first, Tao Shang sent an ultimatum to Xiao Ru, ordering him submit and become a tributary of Xu Province, with a refusal meaning war. Xiao Ru was infuriated by this demand, proclaiming that “X-Xiang Yu n-ne-never surrendered, and n-never will I!” His comparison to the famous Hegemon King of Western Chu, who chose death instead of submission, was pretty clear. Xiao Ru would never accept submission. As a jab to Tao Shang, he ended his letter to him by “If I was to submit, shouldn’t I ask Tan Zhihan, not you?” Infuriated by this remark, Tao Shang declared war against Xiao Ru in August, days after he had finished annexing Chenliu Commandery.

With such an important war on the horizon, Xiao Ru once again decided to reshuffle some of his council. The Commandant Chen Cong had died in July, and the Chief Clerk Ding Yan was proving dangerously bad at his job. While he had previously sought loyalty above all else, he now wished for competent men to serve in these positions. Yuan Yi was appointed as Chief Clerk as promised, a decision that surprised no one and did not cause any fuss. For the post of Commandant, Xiao Ru decided that he couldn’t rely on a decent general, he needed a great one. Considering how Zhang Yan had been given most of the credit for the recent victories, he seemed like the logical choice. After years of trying and failing to attain the position in Yang Province, the former bandit leader was finally appointed as Chen Province’s second Commandant. Gan Bogao tried to oppose this, pointing out that he was the one in charge of the recent campaign, but all it did was kill his career. He was shuffled out of the court and appointed to a distant county as magistrate, where he would stay until his death in 222 at the age of 56.

But ironically, Zhang Yan found himself in the same position Gan Bogao had previously been, with a general who had the clear goal of outshining him. And just like with Gan Bogao, this subordinate might actually be able to pull it off. While Xiao Ru recognized Zhang Yan’s talent, he did not trust his new Commandant. Because of this, he also gave great powers to his new general Dian Wei, the hero all too happy to be appreciated for once. This caused heavy tensions between the two men, especially as it soon became clear that Xiao Ru heavily favored Dian Wei over Zhang Yan. Both men quickly started to see a rival in their colleague, which left them completely unable to work together. Because of this, the remobilization of the Chen army turned into a slow convoluted mess, with conflicting orders and opposing loyalties among the officers making it difficult for the army to organize. Ding Yan, the former Chief Clerk who was serving as a general, tried to play diplomat between the two men, but that failed miserably.

Meanwhile, Xu Province had no such problem. Its Commandant was the ultimate military authority in the province, and unlike Zhang Yan had no rivals to worry about. Ever since his arrival in the province, Ma Teng had risen through the ranks. By 204, he had been appointed as Administrator of Lu Commandery after he successfully defended the region from one of Gongsun Zan’s subordinates. His growing influence in the army did worry Tao Shang enough for the Governor to take personal command of the campaign. Ma Teng wasn’t offended by this one bit, even if his son Ma Chao was. The old Commandant knew that his liege would need to rely on him for tactics and other military affairs anyway, so he didn’t mind allowing Tao Shang to present himself as a leader. While the Chen troops were still struggling to mobilize, the Xu army entered enemy territories and started to besiege border cities.

In October, two news came to Xiao Ru that changed his current situation. The first one, which was terrible, was that Tan Zhihan had decided to join the war on Tao Shang’s side. After being convinced of the necessity of this war and making sure that Budugen the Great would not attack in his absence, the Governor of Qing Province started mobilizing. This was a problem, as while Xiao Ru could field more troops than Tao Shang thanks to his recent annexations, he had no way of challenging Tan Zhihan’s massive army. Tan Zhihan also had at his disposal extremely competent generals like He Jintao and Ba Daiping who could easily be a match for the likes of Zhang Yan and Dian Wei. This was certainly not something Xiao Ru wanted to hear.

But at least he got one good news by the middle of the month. Chang Lin’s health had never recovered, and on the 16th of October 204 he died of Slow Fever at the age of 40. To say that Xiao Ru was overjoyed would be an understatement. Finally, he was rid of this arrogant backstabber! Now he could appoint someone he truly wanted to advise him. Knowing full well that there might be disputes over Chang Lin’s replacement as Assistant Administrator, Xiao Ru outsmarted everyone by promoting an impeccable candidate. Li Fengzhou had previously served in Chenliu Commandery, but like Dian Wei, he found himself pushed aside by the jealous regents. As soon as the commandery was annexed, he offered his services to Xiao Ru’s court, where he quickly made a good impression on everyone. He was competent in every domain, and humble about it. Even Xiao Ru’s enemies could not deny of great of a choice he was to help the Governor rule Chen Province.

But if the death of Chang Lin was a nice surprise, the following death in November was a complete shock, and not just to Xiao Ru. On the 14th of November, Tan Zhihan just died. No one was sure how, but the best guess was that the stress of the Xianbei threat had finally proven too much for him. This completely changed the war’s dynamic in and instant. Qing Province was now ruled by his son Tan Shenquan. And although the teenager seemed to be following in his father’s footsteps, he was still considered too young to rule or lead armies. A regency organized around his mother, who managed to stall any conflict for power over her son. Still, the sudden change in power left the Qing army weakened and disorganized. Tao Shang, who was expecting Tan Zhihan to come reinforce him, followed Ma Teng’s advice to retreat to their own territories instead of staying vulnerable to Chen attack. As for Xiao Ru, he now started to wonder if this defensive war could not turn into an offensive one, now that he had the advantage.

And Xiao Ru’s position soon found itself strengthened further, as Tan Zhihan’s funerary rites weren’t even performed yet that Qing Province was struck with a revolt. Zhuge Jin, who had since succeeded Ying Shao as Administrator of Taishan Commandery, still regretted his commandery’s annexation by Tan Zhihan. He had been planning for an opportunity to free himself from Qing control, and had hoped that the war would provide one. But his brother Zhuge Jun, who was loyal to their new overlord, had tried to betray his plans to the Governor. While Tan Zhihan had died before he could be warned, Zhuge Jin decided to not take any risk and revolted anyway. Zhuge Jin had prepared for this day, notably by becoming good friend with Budugen the Great. But the Khagan was occupied at the time, which meant that he needed someone else to back him up.

This left him with only one solution: ask Xiao Ru for his support. Unlike his brother Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jin chose to put the past behind them if it meant saving his commandery. Yes, the man had killed his father, but a decade had passed since. Vengeance would be impossible and dangerous. Determined, he sent envoys to the Chen court asking for an alliance. If Xiao Ru sent supply and some support to Zhuge Jin, then the administrator promised to keep Qing Province distracted. Xiao Ru was surprised by this, but he also reviled in the pleas of the Zhuge boy. How things had turned. After enjoying this for a moment, he did agree with Zhuge Jin’s assessment, prompted by Li Fengzhou’s advices. Keeping Qing Province would be beneficial. He quickly sent gold and supply to Zhuge Jin, with a letter praising him for putting their previous dispute behind (which did not include the murder of Zhuge Gui, as Xiao Ru was adamant that he would NEVER kill someone for something as petty as Fei County). And just like that, the war became Xiao Ru and Zhuge Jin against Tao Shang and Tan Shenquan. Never say never.

______________________
PS: So I mentioned a guy named Xiang Yu in this chapter. Xiang Yu was an important figure in the fall of the Qin Dynasty (the first Chinese Imperial Dynasty), refusing to submit to the new dynasty and wishing to restore his state of Chu. The Qin collapsed on itself due to multiple revolts to restore the old order of many kings, with Xiang Yu being the general of the biggest revolt (although his uncle Xiang Liang started it). He was something of a violent and arrogant man, but a great warrior and general, renowned for his strength. After the end of the Qin, he divided China in 18 Kingdoms. He took the title of Hegemon King of Western Chu, making it clear that he was superior to the other kings. But he was challenged by Liu Bang, King of Han, starting a four years conflict through China called the Chu-Han Contention (206-202 BC). Spoiler alert, Liu Bang won. After hearing that his wife had killed herself, Xiang Yu chose suicide instead of surrendering to Liu Bang, and Liu Bang then declared himself Emperor of the Han Dynasty. So basically, Xiang Yu was there for the “First Days of the Han”. If you have Netflix, there is a show called King’s War that tell these events from Liu Bang and Xiang Yu POV. Good show.

Anyway, when Xiao Ru compared himself to Xiang Yu, he basically meant that death was preferable to submission to Tao Shang, a clear signal that he would never surrender. Saying no and risking losing a war was better to him than saying yes and bowing to Tao Shang.