The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Bibliophile]

The Han’s last day has finally come! Long live Yao Shuren AKA: Emperor Anwu of Liang!

 

[Dunaden]

The Han Dynasty's time has ended and now the Liang Dynasty rises, congratulations to the new Emperor Anwu.

And Pan Zheng is now tied directly to the new Royal Dynasty, marrying the Emperor's favorite child, Princess Yao Xiaoya, may the union be fruitful and full of genius children.

 

[Midnite Duke]

May the Emperor's days be numbered and by spring may flowers sprout from the remains of Yao Shuren. Already the imperial vultures are circling to better position themselves during the net lord's administration. Wonderful job and thank you for the updates.

 

[binobo]

May Emperor Anwu unify and bring peace to the wartorn land! May he rule for the decades to come!

 

[Zamarak500]

Thought I'd state the obvious, but I'm really not in a situation to write the AAR right now. I have until early july to finish my thesis or I'd need to take another semester (which would really mess my plans), so my time has been almost entirely focused on that.

Basically, I wanted everyone to know to probably not expect anything until July. Might write a chapter or two if I need a break, but that's a maybe.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank you for the update, good luck on the thesis and do not make yourself sick.

 

[Zamarak500]

219: THE FIRST DAYS OF THE LIANG​

The Han Dynasty was no more. The Liu Clan had lost the Mandate of Heaven through their inability to protect the people and bring peace to the Middle Kingdom. With the exception of Emperor Qianfei, none of the last Han emperors had proven incapable of even attempting to save the Dynasty. And now the Han was no more. The Mandate of Heaven had passed to someone more worthy. Emperor Anwu of the Liang Dynasty was now the legitimate ruler of the realm. Already he had brought a large swath of China under his rule, though the eastern coast still evaded his control. But it didn’t matter. This was a new day, a new age. Yao Shuren, now Emperor Anwu, had no qualms about forcing these warlords to bend to his will. The future was his, and history would remember him as the great unifier of China.

But first, he needed to lay the groundwork of his new imperial regime. While he had spent the last few years conquering territories and bringing the deficient Han bureaucracy under his heel, he still needed to transition it into the Liang state apparatus. This would prove to be an easy task, as he had already put most of his pieces in place before his usurpation of Emperor You. Most of his advisors retained the ranks and offices that they held under the Han, although there were some notable promotions. Xu Shu became Excellency of the Masses, although he remained head of the Censorate and Minister of Justice in the process. Ren Duo became the first Liang official to be Excellency of Work, though Emperor Anwu only kept him until he found a proper replacement. The scholar Duan Zuo became the Imperial Grand Tutor, which gave him greater access to the potential heirs.

But more importantly than anything was the choice of Chancellor. The Chancellor was the highest court office, a position that under the right circumstances could ensure incredible power, as demonstrated by Emperor Anwu while under the Han. Many expected the military minded emperor to appoint one of his generals to the office, ensuring a war focused government that would thrive to unite China. But the Son of Heaven was more focused on the long term. He needed an official that would help him build solid foundations for the future of his dynasty. The Emperor was currently fifty, with his best years now behind him. If he was to pass away before his work was done, then he needed strong officials to continue his work and advise his heir, especially since he had yet to settle on which son would succeed him. Appointing a general, while useful on the short term, might just lead to the new Chancellor following in his footsteps once he was gone. He did not need someone usurping his new Dynasty. So he turned to a man that had proven to be reliable, yet completely uninterested in imperial politics. The scholar Pan Zheng, who had once only wanted to be left alone in his home to study, was now made the first Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty. And of course, he was not allowed to refuse.

In the week after his ascension to the jade throne, Emperor Anwu summoned some of his followers. Some were his oldest, like Hu Zhen, other were among his most loyal, like Cheng Pu, and some were just people he could not ignore, like Xuan Su. One of the benefits of being emperor was that he could now reward his followers with titles of nobility, promoting them to marquis, or even duke or king (though he was smart enough not to hand the very titles he used a stepping stone to usurp the Han). First was Xu Chu, the General who Manifest Might, who was rewarded for his “handling” of Emperor Qianfei’s armed revolt with the title of Marquis of Lingxi. And for Mo Jie, who had served Yao Shuren for two decades by now, he was given the rank of Marquis of Yong.

But what Emperor Anwu had hoped would be a spectacle of his generosity turned into an embarrassment when came the turn of the two old generals Cheng Pu and Hu Zhen. Cheng Pu was by far his greatest general, serving as Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army for his services, while Hu Zhen had been his oldest supporters, helping him all the way back when they served under Guo Si. Hu Zhen, either suspicious of this reward or simply showing his deteriorating mental state, laughed and refused the title. He expressed that if he had wanted a reward, he would have asked for it years ago. Cheng Pu also refused the honors. He had no son to continue his line, no heir whose career would benefit from his promotion. And he was in his sixties now. He did not want people to believe that he worked so hard not out of loyalty, but because he sought a noble title. Embarrassed by his officers’ firm refusal, Emperor Anwu decided that it would be safer to avoid further embarrassment, ending his plans to reward the rest of his followers. This refusal would prove Cheng Pu’s last act at court. A month after the founding of the Liang Dynasty, the Grand Commandant died at the age of 65, ending a long career of military service, first under Sun Jian and then under the Emperor.

The end of the promotions did not sit well with everyone, of course. Xuan Su had expected to be made marquis, but now he was left miffed at what he perceived as a snub. Cheng Pu and Hu Zhen had just ruined it for everyone. Thankfully, the death of the old general proved an opportunity for the Governor of Bing Province. While he was already an advisor to the Son of Heaven, he now had a chance to gain control of the Imperial Army. Xuan Su could smile at this thought, especially as there weren’t a lot of other options available to the Imperial Court. Xu Shu, while a competent strategist and a beloved follower of Emperor Anwu, was already serving as Excellency of the Masses and Minister of Justice. Xu Chu was a restless beast, clearly unequipped to handle such an important office. Hu Zhen was 73, clearly to hold to be trusted with such an important office.

But what Xuan Su didn’t take into account was that the Emperor might not see the need of an excellent Grand Commandant, as he could handle military matters by himself. He was certainly not going to hand over such an important office to an untrustworthy subordinate like Xuan Su. Instead, Emperor Anwu tapped in Xuan Su’s southern rival, Administrator Yang Xiu of Hedong. Over the years, Yang Xiu had done just as Xuan Su and conquered neighboring commanderies, now holding four of them and making a wall on Bing Province’s southern border. More annoying to Xuan Su was the fact that two of Yang Xiu’s commanderies should have been under his authority, but Emperor Anwu allowed it to keep the governor in check. And now the rival, who was not even a great general, was given command of the Imperial Army. Xuan Su had come to be promoted, not snubbed. Yet he left empty handed and frustrated, and there was little he could do about it.

This new appointment proved an opportunity to reshuffle another office, that of the Excellency of Works. Ren Duo had previously served as Yao Shuren’s Chief Steward for years, but had only gotten the position because he was one of the few Sili officials to support him when he conquered the province. But Ren Duo had also shown to be unable to do his job efficiently, and even had a mental breakdown two weeks into the Liang Dynasty’s existence. This had convinced the Emperor that the man needed to be removed. When it came to choosing a replacement, Emperor Anwu decided to appoint one of his former enemies. Best of cases, it would mollify him, and worse case scenario, it would allow the Emperor to keep an eye on the problematic subordinate. Appointing Xuan Su was far too risky, instead choosing the old Shao Wengjie. Shao Wengjie had become a small warlord following the collapse of Gongsun Zan in 206, and had only been brought under heel a year ago. Giving him such an important office should convince him to accept the new authority of the Liang Dynasty. Hopefully.

This series of appointments, handing of titles and embarrassments were quickly forgotten when scandal broke out at court. The second prince Yao Yuan felt sick in late April 219, forcing him to be bedridden for a few days. His mother, Consort Liang, spent days by his side to ensure his safety. The imperial doctors were sent to watch over the boys. They quickly identified that the boy was suffering from pneumonia and were able to administrate a successful treatment, ensuring that the young prince’s life was no longer under threat. But Prince Yuan decided to use this sickness against his older brother, who he envied for being the heir presumptive. The thirteen years old told his mother that he had been eating a meal with his brother before he felt sick, heavily implying that he had been poisoned. Consort Liang, who trusted her son’s word, spat insults in the corridors of court, with maids now whispering that the first prince might have tried to murder his younger brother out of jealousy.

And this was not some farfetched theory. Tensions over succession have been brewing for a few years now, with many officials backing Yao Yuan over the issue, as they felt that the younger prince would be more malleable. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Emperor Anwu had yet to appoint a Crown Prince. As the eldest son, Prince Xiu could expect the position out of Confucian principles. But his relationship with his father had been drastically deteriorating, in part due to both men’s ambitious nature. Adding to this the court’s growing support for Yao Yuan, and it was no surprised that the older prince was getting paranoid.

While he had not poisoned his brother, he had indeed eaten a meal with him. Yao Xiu feared that his father might use this as an opportunity to remove him from succession, whenever he was guilty or not. So Yao Xiu went on the offensive, tirelessly attacking Consort Liang over her accusations in public fashions. But this lack of restrain at court did nothing to gain him points. Emperor Anwu put a stop to these accusations before it spread too far, unwilling to see such baseless rumors overwhelm his court. He trusted the doctors and declared that Yao Yuan was recovering from sickness, not poison. Any further talk over the issue would be seen as slander against the Imperial Clan. This killed the whole affair, but it had the intended effect. Yao Xiu came out of this looking for the worst, his place in the succession ever the more fragile.

Since the imperial succession was now being discussed, Emperor Anwu decided to deal with one lingering issue that came from the abolished Han Dynasty. Liu Zicai, formerly the Emperor and now the Duke of Yanliang, still lived in a mansion close to the Imperial Capital. In exchange for the abdication, Emperor Anwu had promised to Lady Liu that she would not be harmed and that she could live with her son. While he intended to keep his promise, he also left himself a loophole in this contract to tie up loose ends. After all, he had never promised to keep the former emperor alive. The survival of the boy was too much of a threat to his new regime. In early May, he sent orders to the soldiers guarding the former Imperial Family that the boy needed to die. The soldiers entered the house, separated the child from his mother and stabbed him multiple times. Liu Zicai, who had been the last emperor of the Han Dynasty, was only 7 at the time of his death. He had enjoyed less than two months of peace after abdicating the throne.

The death of the former emperor was shocking, especially the fact that Emperor Anwu didn’t even bother to hide his involvement. To him, it was not like he had any reason to hide it, although he did burry the boy as an emperor and bestowed him the posthumous name of Emperor You. The threat of a Han restauration around Liu Zicai was simply too great to be ignored. Anyone who cared about bringing peace to China would see that. And he was right. At least for the time being, the death of Liu Zicai caused no issue whatsoever. In fact, the death of the young boy marked the return of peace in the Imperial Capital. Scandals and disputes stopped, with the court finally working toward building the dynasty that their monarch envisioned. Emperor Anwu and his Chancellor Pan Zheng played a big part in ensuring that everything ran smoothly. Three months after the Liang Dynasty had been established, it seemed solid enough that the Son of Heaven started to look at the remaining warlords, planning in his head how he was going to unify China.

But in June, news arrived of a peasant revolt in the south of Jing Province. Since its conquest, the province had been managed by Wang You, and old an unimpressive official who had only been appointed to appease the followers of the late Liu Siyuan. In his defense, Wang You was hardworking in his duties as governor and humble in his service to the newly created dynasty. The problem was that he was proving a bit too conservative in his spending policies. He amassed the wealth through taxes and sent most of it to Chang’an, but rarely any of it went back to the people. Now, he believed that the dynasty would make better use of this wealth than Jing Province, but to the peasantry this was just unwelcomed taxes. So a few thousands of them rebelled.

Wang You, as always, panicked at this first sign of opposition. His fears were heightened by the fact that the rebels didn’t explain why they were revolting, simply assuming that it would be obvious. This led to some wild theories. Were they Han restorationists? Were they trying to put back Liu Siyuan’s son in charge of Jing Province? Or maybe one of the Jing generals who had submitted to Yao Shuren was now making a move to claim the province? But while people started to panic at this first opposition to the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Anwu simply smiled. He did not expect peasants to have some grand political agenda and guessed correctly that they mostly disliked Wang You’s management. But instead, he declared that this revolt was caused by “treasonous agents” from Yang Province, accusing the Lu Clan of trying to “undermine the peace and stability of the Dynasty”. Clearly, this attack against his state could not be tolerated. Clearly, retaliation was in order. Clearly, Yang Province had to be brought back under imperial control.

_______________________________________
PS: So I had some time to write a chapter, might be able to write 1 or 2 more before I return into my thesis writing. I’m sadly not out of the woods yet! But I am getting a little bit more free time.

 

[streaker77]

Quite the opinion discrepancy between Mo Jie and Emperor Anwu.

The emperor is truly a great unifier and impressive figure, but I cant help but feel that the murder of young Liu Zicai could prove a blemish on his record, and could have been done with a little more subtlety, then again, hes the genius here not me so maybe the public nature of the killing could represent to his realm that the Han dynasty is well and truly done.

Yao Xiu, while still young seems entirely unskilled and unfit to succeed as the next emperor, for the sake of the empire I hope his ambitions are limited to planning for his next feast.

 

[Bibliophile]

Emperor Anwu’s reign, barring sone minor hiccups, is going well so far. However, it’s only the first year, we shall have to wait and see what the years afterward bring.

Also poor Liu Zicai. Killed when he was just starting a life of peace. I suppose it’s not unexpected, Yao Shuren doesn’t like leaving loose ends, and if that loose end is more useful to him dead than alive, than they are shown no mercy. That’s always been how Yao Shuren operates.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Mo Jie has been a survivor and will probably die peacefully. Good Luck with thesis.

 

[HistoryDude]

Anwu is proving to be a good ruler so far, but his reign might not last. Historically, the Jin unified China - and lost the entire north around 15 years later.

Nice to see that Xuan Su is still doing okay, although he seems like he might create problems...

 

[Zamarak500]

219-220: THE YANG CAMPAIGN​

Yang Province had been thrown into turmoil ever since the death of Governor Lu Xun in 214. He had managed to push out every single remaining rival after he inherited the province from his father Lu Jun in 201, including two successful wars with Hu Zan. His efforts to rebuild his broken province had been successful enough for him to get involved into neighboring realms, becoming a key ally of his northern neighbor Governor Xiao Ru of Chen Province. Lu Xun. While not on the same level as Yao Shuren, Gongsun Zan or Xiao Ru in term of power, ambitions and influence, the Governor of Yang Province had proven an apt warlord in the late Han era. And then he died unexpectedly at the age of 31 in 214, sending his province into a swift decline.

Lu Xun’s eldest son, Lu Dun, was only eleven at the time of his father’s death, which led some to argue that maybe Lu Xun’s brother should take control of the province instead. Said brother, Lu Mao, was certainly supportive of the idea. But instead, Lu Dun was installed as Governor of Yang Province, with the old Lun Shi as his regent. Lun Shi, first appointed by Yang Weili to take care of Hefei for him, had joined Lu Jun’s side in the civil war, which allowed him to remain a close associate of the Lu Clan in the following decades. The old man now found himself in control of the province’s government until the young Lu Dun was old enough to lead in his own right. But the choice of Lun Shi proved controversial. While he was a hardworking man, he was also extremely flawed. Lecherous, greedy, timid, cowardly… All words that could be applied to the regent. Some even accused him of cannibalism.

Needless to say, his position was not one of strength. Lu Mao, who felt snubbed out of the governorship, began to challenge the regent for control of his nephew. But Lu Mao was a terrible politician, and he never hid the fact that his ultimate goal to take control of Yang Province for himself. Had it been anyone more competent, the regency of Lun Shi would have easily collapsed against the attacks. But Lu Mao failed to take advantage of any opportunity that was presented to him, even if dissatisfied officials did rally around him over the years. Thanks to his incompetence, Lun Shi was able to lead his regency through its five years term, with Lu Dun gaining full control of the province in early 219. Which left Lu Mao with only one option. Just as Yao Shuren was proclaiming the birth of the Liang Dynasty, Lu Mao had his nephew Lu Dun assassinated.

Someone more competent would have either been able to hide his role in the murder or be able to follow this with a successful coup. But Lu Mao was not competent, leaving him the mastermind behind Lu Dun’s death without gaining any benefits out of it. The treasonous uncle retreated to his homebase on the coast… and celebrated. Thankfully for him, Lun Shi was now back in charge, now regent for the thirteen years old Lu Zhousheng. As had been the case for the last five years, Lun Shi was too scare of a confrontation to retaliate against Lu Mao. This left Lu Mao convinced that the time was right to take control of the province. The only hiccup was that his supporters had abandoned him due to his horrifying act. Thankfully, he saw another potential ally that would surely help him get what was his by right. In June 219, he sent a messenger to Chang’an, demanding (not asking, demanding) that Emperor Anwu send him aid to take control of the province. In exchange, he would submit himself to the Liang Dynasty as Governor of Yang Province.

What Lu Mao didn’t know when he sent his messenger was that Emperor Anwu had already announced his new campaign to reclaim Yang Province. But he had no plan to allow the Lu Clan to retain control of the region. No, this sort of regional powerbase would be unacceptable. As the emperor, he would decide who was to be governor, and for how long. As he prepared his campaign in early July, many courtiers came forward to advise Emperor Anwu not to go in person. While this was acceptable during his times as a conquering warlord, things were now different. He was the Son of Heaven. Campaigning should be left to his generals and his officers. His place was in Chang’an, to oversee the realm and radiate throughout the court with his wisdom and greatness. The Grand Tutor Duan Zuo even said: “An emperor must reign from his throne, not from a saddle.”

But Emperor Anwu did not share the same opinion. “How can I sit idly on my throne while the realm has yet to know peace? How can I surrender this heavenly duty to others?” He did not know if he was ever going to reunify China in his lifetime, or if this duty would fall on whichever son succeeded him. But never had it ever crossed his mind that he wouldn’t try. The more territories he gained, the more stable the future of the Liang Dynasty would be, and the less problems his successors would have. Someone advised him that consulting the court astrologers might ease his doubts about the future, but Emperor Anwu put an end to this discussion. He was going so that he could mold the future himself. He appointed his Chancellor Pan Zheng and Excellency of the Masses Xu Shu as the regents in his absence, after which he departed to review his troops.

Emperor Anwu would take command of the main army, which included his now ferocious elite cavalry. These Xianbei horse riders were given some of the best Chinese equipment available for the time, allowing them to bring the best of both sides. His son-in-law Xibaxiong, Budugen’s heir, was among the commanders of this Xianbei force. While some of his horsemen had been employed in previous campaigns, this would prove Xibaxiong’s first Chinese war. Emperor Anwu hoped that this little familial campaign together might help build better relationships between the Liang Dynasty and the Xianbei Confederation on the long term. While Budugen had proven amiable, he was no longer in the prime of his life. Smoothing his successor into a pro-Chinese stance would make things easier on the long run. A noble goal, but one that would backfire, as Xibaxiong’s hatred of the “weak southern way of life” would only be confirmed by the comfortable camp life of the Chinese officers.

Someone else who was dragged on a military family trip was Xuan Mei, the oldest living son of the great general Xuan Su. For all the love Xuan Su gave to his son, the fact was that his status as a hunchback would play against the poor boy. With Xuan Su still suffering from consumption, this might be the last opportunity to give his son some military experience. Sadly for both of them, Xuan Mei’s appearance had left the teenager scared and afraid of violence, always trying to avoid confrontations due to his physical stature. Xuan Mei was doubly unmotivated to go by the fact that he had a wife now. He was married to the daughter of Han Fu (the Governor of Ji Province before Gongsun Zan took it over in 192) and had a pretty good married life. In fact, his wife was within the last month of her pregnancy (the child would be a daughter named Xuan Youwei). But, having immense respect for his father and little backbone, Xuan Mei went along with dear old dad, leaving for a campaign on the other side of China.

Emperor Anwu had envisioned this campaign as a three armies offensive. Each army would have enough troops to challenge the full Yang forces if needed, ensuring that none would prove the weak link of this operation. From the north, Xuan Su would march south, establishing a foothold before advancing steadily toward the provincial capital. This would more than likely be the main target of the Yang response. Another army, led by Emperor Anwu himself and including his Xianbei cavalry, would first deal with the peasant rebellion before attacking from the west. The goal here would be to pincer the provincial capital from two sides, leaving them with no option but to surrender. Finally, the third army of Hu Zhen would make its way through the undeveloped southern jungles. From his studies of the province, Emperor Anwu understood that the south could serve as a holdout for the Yang forces should they lose the provincial capital.This tactic had been proven successful on multiple occasions already, which is why the Emperor needed to neutralize the region from the start.

This was a strong plan, one designed to ensure that this didn’t drag for a decade like his Yi campaign. He even had a backup plan should the Yang troops somehow find a way to stall his advance. Xu Chu, the General who Manifest Might, was in the process of training a fourth army. The general would then lead it to reinforce Xuan Su, allowing the two of them to steamroll to the provincial capital and ensure an imperial victory.

The plan was put into place, with the various generals all ready to show their worth. Xuan Su was happy to be finally be given the command of an army without oversight. Yes, the Emperor was leading his own forces, ensuring that any betrayal would be met by a swift defeat on the battlefield. But Xuan Su hoped to gain control of the Yang provincial capital quickly. If he was able to end the campaign before reinforcements arrived, then he would be the hero of the day, something that he could exploit to gain promotions. Meanwhile, Xu Chu found himself frustrated and angry. He wanted to see action, not handle logistics with Yang Xiu. The Grand Commandant could handle all that nonsense, but he was the General who Manifests Might! He needed to be on the battlefield as soon as possible! As for Hu Zhen, the 74 years old simply wanted to make sure that his southern army didn’t fall into a trap. At his age, this would likely be his last campaign, so now was not the time to fail his liege.

The offensive went into full swing in early October. With most of the Liang military occupied in the south, Di barbarians in Liang Province decided to break the yoke of Chinese oppression. They had suffered long enough under the Han Dynasty, and there was no way that they would accept the tyranny of this new Liang state. Though it had to be said that their revolt was partially in reaction to the oppressive policies of the new dynasty. With Pan Zheng as the new Chancellor, it was to be expected that the wellbeing of barbarians would not be among the court’s priorities. In fact, the Liang government launched an aggressive policy of Sinicization.

Considering Emperor Anwu’s opposition to such aggressive policies while serving as Governor of Liang and his willingness to employ barbarians among his troops, this was a surprising shift. But the fact was that the Emperor’s situation was highly different now that he was the Emperor. He was no longer trying to build a provincial powerbase, built on both Chinese and barbarians. As the holder of the Mandate of Heaven, he was expected to defend, and even spread, the clearly superior Chinese way of life. Scholars like Pan Zheng and Duan Zuo certainly supported this idea when it was debated at court. On the more cynical side of things, Emperor Anwu no longer had to fear that a local barbarian uprising might be used by bigger powers as an excuse to invade. The Xiongnu Horde had almost been entirely wiped off the maps. The Qinghaixi Khaganate was now a subject of the Liang Dynasty, paying monthly tributes of submission to the Emperor. Budugen the Great, the strongest barbarian leader, had been pacified through gifts and marriage. The only independent barbarians not linked to the dynasty were those living in the former Jiaozhi Province, but they were too disorganized to do anything at the moment.

Still, this revolt could not be allowed to continue. When informed of the barbarian issue, Emperor Anwu ordered a new army raised to deal with the problem. In his missive to the court, he ordered Administrator Yin Rong of Hejian Commandery to take command of this small campaign and crush those treasonous barbarians. Yin Rong had only entered in the Emperor’s service a year ago. At the time, he had accepted to submit to the then Chancellor in exchange of helping him take over Hejian Commandery, which was done with ease. Having been given everything he had asked for so far, the general was now had to rove that the Emperor’s generosity was not wasted on him.

With the Liang invasion now in full force, the Yang court went into chaos. Lun Shi was certainly not the man of the situation and had no idea how to react. As the end of 219 approached, the Yang army had not even been able to link up, and the regent had yet to chose a general to command the war. A few courtiers, deciding that extraordinary problems required drastic solutions, went to offer Lu Mao the opportunity to coup Lun Shi and take over the defense of the province. After five years of trying to take the governorship, the court was willing to hand it to him on a silver platter. But Lu Mao was convinced that the Liang army was here to put him in charge of the province, and so rebuked the officials who begged him to defend Yang Province. Lu Mao simply waited for Emperor Anwu to summon him, completely unaware that the envoys he had sent to Chang’an had been executed, as the Emperor did not want news of his invasion to leak out too soon.

But Yang Province was not doomed yet, as someone finally stood up for its defense. It was both surprising and disheartening that this responsibility fell to the thirteen years old governor Lu Zhousheng, who was still seen as too young to lead in his own right. He was seeing what his regent was doing, which was nothing at all. The last straw came when the provincial capital had to be evacuated in haste. Xuan Su had, just as he had hoped for, managed to make a hasty advance to their capital, which he put under siege in late December 219. While the court managed to slip away and deny the general the quick victory he had hoped, this had been far too close. Unwilling to let Lun Shi doom his province, the teenaged governor summoned a few generals and planned a coup against his incompetent regent. In early January 220, Lun Shi was put under arrest, with the order signed by the Governor himself. Lun Shi was out, and in his place the generals who had helped Lu Zhousheng found themselves as his regents.

While this helped give some leadership to the Yang troops, the two new regents would both prove flaws to their cause. Gong Du, the older of the two men, was a former Yellow Turban who had joined Yang Province all the way back in the late 190’s, when Lu Jun had started to recruit former rebels to serve under him. But unlike the other rebel generals, like Zhang Yan, Gong Du had proven too incompetent to rise through the ranks. At the end of the day, his only claim to authority was his decades long service to the Lu Clan, which was not going to help him push back the Liang invasion.

By his side was Gu “the Wise”. Now, unlike Gong Du, Gu was actually perfect for the regency. A competent administrator, diplomat and general, his fame came as a great scholar and spiritualist, making him one of the most learned men at court. But his flaw was that he was not Chinese. Gu was a Shanyue, one of the many barbarian groups living in southern Yang Province. Because of his origins, many soldiers were more suspicious of him than of the Liang invaders. And the case of the two regents wasn’t helped by their age, as Gong Du was 60 and Gu 57. At the end of the day, their rise proved too little, too late.

Even so, they were determined to try. Gong Du and Gu decided that they needed at least one victory to turn back the Liang momentum. If they could defeat one of the three armies in open battle, then they might have a chance at saving their province, if only through a white peace of some sort. With Emperor Anwu leading the larger army and Hu Zhen far too south to be attacked, Xuan Su became their only viable target. While Xuan Su had successfully sped his way to the provincial capital, this had come at the cost of losses due to tropical diseases and lack of supply. While he was no longer suffering from those issues, as Xuan Su was far too experienced to allow these problems to continue forever, it still left him with less troops than the combined Yang army of Gong Du and Gu.

After learning that Xuan Su was planning to link up with the army of Emperor Anwu, the Yang regents decided to stop the general in the hills of Shulu in April. They would have the advantage of the terrain, which was completely unfamiliar to a northerner like Xuan Su. In fact, the hot climate of the south was only exacerbating Xuan Su’s disease, leaving him stick to his bed for days on end. However, this did not blunt his usual wits. Emperor Anwu, following his old tactic while fighting in the mountains of Liang, had ordered his generals to hire locals to serve as guide. The Governor of Bing Province had used this advantage to the fullest, even paying locals to act as his spies in the enemy camps or bribing garrisons to open the cities to him, which is how he made such a fast advance. He was thus aware that the enemy planned to attack him at Shulu.

Gong Du and Gu found themselves waiting for Xuan Su to enter the hills… and waiting, and waiting again. But the general would not play into their hands. With their supply lowering, the two regents decided that they would try to lure him one last time before launching an offensive of their own. This was the moment that Xuan Su chose to strike. Using the cover of darkness to nullify the position of his enemies, the Liang soldiers launched a nightly assault against the Yang forces. However, this was literally an uphill battle. And then, as the sun was rising up, the reinforcements of Xu Chu. The General who Manifests Might ordered a massive assault against the Yang army, ensuring massive casualties to the enemy. To Xuan Su’s frustration, Xu Chu would receive most of the credit for this victory, which would play a big part in advancing the man’s career.

The Battle of Shulu proved the last shot at saving Yang Province. The following months saw the Imperial Army advancing with little resistance. The Yang court found itself with nowhere to go. Their plan to regroup south was blocked by the army of Hu Zhen, yet they found themselves with diminishing room to maneuver on the coast. Against the wish of his regents, who still hoped to turn the war around, Lu Zhousheng decided to write a letter to his northern neighbor, Governor Xiao Ru of Chen Province. Like the other eastern warlord, Xiao Ru had refused to recognize the Liang Dynasty’s legitimacy and continued to use the Han calendar and reign era. Xiao Ru’s second son Xiao Hanhe was also married to his aunt Lu Xiaoji. The teenager hoped that this connection and Xiao Ru’s famed generosity might convince him to welcome an exiled Yang court, so that Lu Zhousheng could be safe and return to his province another day. Sadly, his messengers were captured and killed by Xuan Su, who had been warned by traitors of the attempt to contact Chen Province.

In the first week of July, the Yang court was finally betrayed by some of their followers, forcing the surrender of the province to Emperor Anwu. This campaign had taken around a year to finish, a complete and quick success for the new Liang Dynasty. The regents Gong Du and Gu were hanged for their opposition to the empire. As for the Lu Clan, they were all rounded up, transferred to Chang’an and put under strict house arrest, though on paper they remained as administrators and magistrates in the province. This included Lu Mao, who presented himself to Emperor Anwu still expecting to be made governor. At the same time, the barbarian revolt in Liang was being crushed by Yin Rong, ending bringing back peace through the whole realm. The Liang Dynasty now had an extensive access to the coast, which would prove an economic boon for the state. The Emperor could now return home victorious, a hero who had expanded his great dynasty. But his mind was already moving toward his next task, as in Chang’an stood the biggest threat to his authority yet.

His wife.

_______________________
PS: So thanks for everyone’s response to the last chapter! I was honestly not sure if anyone would still be hanging around to read it after a month of absence, so I’m happy that you liked it.

And also, this marks the end of Yang Province’s story. Independent Yang Province had an extremely interesting and troublesome story, but one that we were able to follow through all this AAR. In 196, Chen Wen finally broke free of Xu Province’s influence, only to die the following year. He left both Jing and Yang Province to Yang Weili, which led to what was probably one of the most damaging AAR we’ve seen. Yang Weili lost Yang Province in 201, leaving it to the old Lu Jun, who only had time to die and pass it to his son Lu Xun. Lu Xun had to rebuild a weakened state all while enduring two invasions from Hu Zan and barbarian raids. It’s honestly surprising that he managed to hold up to power. He even managed to expand into some southern barbarians and helped Xiao Ru in his war with Xu Province. But then Lu Xun died, leading to the messy regency of Lun Shi vs Lu Mao, the assassination of Lu Dun in 219 and finally the invasion of the province. After 24 years, with 19 under the Lu Clan, Yang Province is now back under someone else’s control.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Something BAD awaits the Emperor. The characters, that we picked as young men, are now aging and hoping to leave their offspring legacies. Thank you for two in a row.

 

[Bibliophile]

But his mind was already moving toward his next task, as in Chang’an stood the biggest threat to his authority yet.

His wife.

This promises to be interesting.

The Liang has consumed Yang province. Emperor Anwu’s power grows.

 

[streaker77]

Duke already touched on this but I find it very noticable that most of the experienced generals are rapidly aging, whoever succeeds the emperor will need to make his own loyal core of generals and quickly find ways to blood them, easier said than done, particularly in regards to loyalty. And if the emperor should die before many of the ''old guard'' I can see several of them not wanting to follow an unblooded and inexperienced child.

 

[HistoryDude]

The Emperor is a good military man...

Yang is subjugated, and the power of Liang grows. Let's see if it can last...

 

[Zamarak500]

Something BAD awaits the Emperor. The characters, that we picked as young men, are now aging and hoping to leave their offspring legacies. Thank you for two in a row.

Duke already touched on this but I find it very noticable that most of the experienced generals are rapidly aging, whoever succeeds the emperor will need to make his own loyal core of generals and quickly find ways to blood them, easier said than done, particularly in regards to loyalty. And if the emperor should die before many of the ''old guard'' I can see several of them not wanting to follow an unblooded and inexperienced child.

The characters in the Liang Dynasty are aging, and so far I have yet to introduce the next gen much (and those I have aren't exactly stellar). The youngests are Pan Zheng (47), Xu Shu (47) and Yang Xiu (45), but these men are not getting younger. Meanwhile, most officers are in their earlies to mid-fifties, while Mo Jie is 60, and that's saying nothing of the fact that the 74 years old Hu Zhen is still being used.

This promises to be interesting.

The Liang has consumed Yang province. Emperor Anwu’s power grows.

The Emperor is a good military man...

Yang is subjugated, and the power of Liang grows. Let's see if it can last...

Yao Shuren hasn't lost his edge since taking the throne, that's for sure. And his generals are also pretty competent too, so for the moment the Liang Dynasty isn't short of talent. For the moment.

Also, couple of things I'd like to mention. First off, thanks @streaker77 for nominating me for the Weekly AAR Showcase! I will not lie, I didn't expect to have any hopes of getting it with my current hiatus, doubly so with it being a CK2 AAR while CK3 is getting more attention these days! Happy to see CK2 AARs are still relevant.

As for my hiatus, the two chapters written so far were release in a small window of time when I couldn't advance anything. Now I'm doing a 6 week work in 4 (cause I had to change job and the new one has a 2 week formation and I'm terrible at planning my life), so I'm back in the "I probably won't be able to post" zone until August. However, I will try to find time to post the next chapter, because I ended it on a cliffhanger. Also, next chapter is the last in this series of Liang focused chapter before we go back to Xiao Ru and his crew, so I want this chapter done in order to not leave any lingering stuffs when I fully return.

 

[Zamarak500]

219-220: MY EMPRESS, MY HEIR​

Emperor Anwu finally had his excuse to invade Yang Province. Here he had created an opportunity to annex the coastal province, bringing into the new imperial fold. Everyone celebrated this opportunity to go expand the Liang Dynasty… that is until the Emperor declared that he would lead this campaign in person. Emperors were supposed to rule from court and radiate majesty from their thrones, not ride into battle on horseback. But Emperor Anwu was not about to deny himself an opportunity to earn the “wu” part of his posthumous name (which meant “martial”). He would make sure that this campaign was a success, and that the Liang expanded as much as possible during his lifetime. And besides, he had already planned for two officials to take over the governing of the Imperial Capital in his absence.

The first of those two regents was an obvious choice in term of rank: the Chancellor Pan Zheng. His selection as the first Chancellor of the newly established dynasty had been unsurprising, as the other potential candidates were either serving in other posts or too dangerous to be promoted to the office. The scholar had proven himself over the decade, with Emperor Anwu trusting his abilities to help manage the realm. Yes, his motivations were often self-centered, when he did have motivations. But that didn’t stop him from excellently performing his duties. His position in the imperial inner circle had also been improved due to his marriage with Yao Xiaoya, the Emperor’s favorite daughter. Though the new Chancellor could do without the princess trying to get into his affairs and getting angry when he refused to listen to what she had to say.

And in the four months since the creation of the dynasty, Pan Zheng had not been idle. A new policy of Sinicization had been put in place, with plans to finally force the barbarians to accept Chinese cultural superiority. Court affairs also demanded most of his time. If he was going to be the Chancellor, then court etiquette would have to be enforced. Since he had first visited Luoyang in 197-198, he found that protocol had become laxed. His brutal honesty and stubbornness became a great tool to ensure court discipline. His rigid enforcement of the rules and etiquettes helped the Imperial Court regain some of its loss prestige. Finally, the Chancellor was also working on plans to expand settlements on the borders and within the uncivilized jungle, even if the losses of lives over the last four decades made this policy difficult to implement (though it did lead to reinforcements of the borders).

But once the Emperor was not around to focus the genius of Pan Zheng toward the dynasty’s needs, his mind wandered back to personal affairs. While he acted as an efficient regent, he focused the rest of 219 on his plan to invade the barbarians in former Jiaozhi Province and destroy their independent tribes. He had already attempted a similar invasion in 216 with disastrous results. But now that he was Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty, he was convinced that he could ensure the success of such expedition. But he would need the help of the Grand Commandant to achieve his goal. At the time, Yang Xiu was focused on handling the logistical aspect of the Yang campaign.

He was proving to be quite apt in the administrative duties of his office, which is why Pan Zheng hoped that Yang Xiu would help him plan the campaign against the southern barbarians. But Yang Xiu was also paranoid and quite cynical. Suspicious of this whole request, the Grand Commandant first rebuked the proposals of the Chancellor, only to see Pan Zheng coming back the next day. At one point, Yang Xiu blankly told the Chancellor that he would only do it for a substantial bribe, as this would be something Pan Zheng would want to hide and thus confirm that this was not a trap (and because he wanted the gold). Pan Zheng felt insulted by this. He was the Imperial Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty. They were supposed to remove the corruption of the Han Dynasty, not imitate it. Now refusing to have anything more to do with the clearly corrupt general, Pan Zheng began to plan his campaign on his own.

With Pan Zheng focused on his plans, this left Xu Shu as the most active figure in court affairs during the Yang campaign. On the one hand, it was not his first time assuming a regency for his liege. On multiple occasions, he had been left behind to watch over Liang Province while Yao Shuren campaigned elsewhere, and each time Yao Shuren had been satisfied enough with the results to appoint him again. On the other hand, Xu Shu was a strategist first and foremost. While a decent administrator, he was not equipped to navigate the nest of intrigues that was the Imperial Court. And with the unifying figure of the Emperor now absent and the two regents either occupied or unprepared, courtiers started to whisper between themselves.

And none was more welcoming of this opportunity than Yao Xiu, the eldest son of Emperor Anwu. The prince was still struggling with his weakened position as the heir apparent. The fact that his father had yet to appoint him Crown Prince was making him nervous and paranoid. Who was speaking against him in the corridors of power? Who was trying to deny him his rightful place? And that outburst of his certainly left a bad taste in his mouth. He now realized that he had been acting rashly, that he simply looked like a fool in front of his father. But he had spent the last months pondering on his mistake. He needed to be more subtle in his maneuverings, shrewder in his moves. And with his father gone, Yao Xiu had a window of opportunity to secure his future.

Of course, there were many that would stand in his way. Yao Yuan was becoming the favorite of many officials, including the Grand Tutor Duan Zuo. The old man saw in the younger prince a more learned student, someone that would surely have more respect for the scholarly domain than the paranoid Yao Xiu. It also helped that the corrupt scholar feared thar the prince might not be tolerant of his corruption if he was to ascend onto the throne. But more importantly than anything was the fact that Yao Xiu was married to Mo Xiaowen, which made him Mo Jie’s son-in-law. The fear of seeing his hated rival gain control of the Imperial Court was too much for the old scholar.

But Yao Yuan was still recuperating from his recent bout of illness, which gave Yao Xiu the perfect opportunity to act. He proposed to the court that someone should look after his dear little brother to make sure that he remained safe from now on. Since his mother Consort Liang was clearly too busy to perform such lesser duties, someone lower in the totem pole would have to keep an eye on the teenager. He suggested Tan Huilan, an incredibly smart young woman to help the younger prince in his daily life. Xu Shu was touched by Yao Xiu’s care for his younger brother and agreed to this. When Pan Zheng was consulted, he simply shrugged in agreement, although he would later notice that his wife had been extremely favorable to the idea. Tan Huilan, who was the daughter of the late Tan Zilong (Yuan Shu’s right hand man), was thus made one of the caretakers of Prince Yuan.

But what most failed to take into account was that Tan Huilan was the concubine of Yao Xiu, making her extremely loyal to his cause. In fact, she was pregnant with the older prince’s child at the time, something that both hoped would help secure their position. Yao Xiu hoped that producing a son would give him an edge in the succession, as unlike Yao Yuan he would already have his own heir. Meanwhile, Tan Huilan was eying to rise from consort to Crown Princess once she provided a son to Yao Xiu. With her child being the heir to the soon to be Crown Prince, she was sure to be promoted over Mo Xiaowen. But for now, all she needed to do was to restrict access to Yao Yuan and make sure to report everything to Yao Xiu. With Yao Yuan now under his control, the older prince could hinder the rise of his rival for the succession.

The month of October proved only a boon for Yao Xiu, as changes in the Council helped improve his standing even further. The barbarian revolt in Liang Province put the Sinicization policies into a new light, with Emperor Anwu a lot less keen to enforce them now that they were causing agitations with the realm. But this revolt was accompanied by the death of the Excellency of Works Shao Wengjie, which provided an opportunity to appease the still loyal barbarians. A missive sent back to Luoyang appointed the Marquis of Yong Mo Jie as the new Excellency of Works. His reputation as being sympathetic to the barbarians and his well-known talent for administrative duties made him the perfect choice for this promotion. Mo Jie tried to suggest that he should instead go meet with the barbarians to ease tensions, but this was understood as him being willing to go meet the Chancellor and take his post.

When Mo Jie finally did arrive in Chang’an, he received a glacial welcome from the court. Obviously, Duan Zuo was not happy to see his old enemy back into power. Better to have the architect as far away from court as possible. Xu Shu proved a lot more welcoming, as the two men had a lot of respect for each other. Sadly, the fact was that they unknowingly stood on opposite sides of the succession issue, which created a rift between them that was hard to ignore.

As for the Chancellor, he simply did not like Mo Jie, and was as always pretty vocal about it. Their views on barbarians were fundamentally opposed, and neither man was willing to give an inch on the issue. Mo Jie obviously started to oppose the more drastic positions of Pan Zheng. The self-centered Chancellor was more focused on his own vision for the future, while the new Excellency of Works tried his best to keep the people in mind and restrain the rise of an oppressive central government. After all, he had seen in his youth what chaos such government could cause. The two men did manage to work on one issue, however, and that was the reconstruction effort through the Liang Dynasty. Their efforts notably allowed the repair of Luoyang, which had been left in ruins since Xu Chu pillaged it in his assault on Emperor Qianfei two years ago.

Mo Jie also used this opportunity to meet his daughter Mo Xiaowen and his son-in-law Yao Xiu, who he had not seen since Emperor Anwu took hold of the Mandate of Heaven. Just like her father, Mo Xiaowen was amicable and determined, willing to support her husband as best as she could. However, she was also starting to feel threatened by Tan Huilan’s pregnancy and feared that she would not be able to assist Yao Xiu by giving him a son. Mo Jie tried to calm his daughter by reminding her that he never had a son and lived a happy life, even if his Clan was doomed to extinction. That last part only helped to worry Mo Xiaowen, and she began to take her wifely duties even more seriously.

While Mo Jie wasn’t an active player in the succession, his presence certainly gave Yao Xiu an edge. With his father-in-law on the Council, his brother under his watch and a child on its way, the older prince seemed to be on the path to success. Things were indeed playing in his favor, and he was both smart enough and ambitious enough to achieve his goals. But an unexpected obstacle quickly appeared in the form of his mother, Empress Cheng. When Emperor Anwu left Luoyang, Yao Xiu would have though of his mother as a powerful ally. As the son of the Empress, he had an undeniable advantage and could claim to be the heir apparent. She had also proven a great ally of Mo Jie over the years, having known each other since their days as rebels in the mountains. Surely she could nudge him in the right direction to help the prince.

But problem started to arose when the Empress found herself pregnant. At first, everyone was happy that the Emperor had conceived another child before leaving for campaign. It was something to be celebrated. But while the timing worked, many began to wonder if the Emperor was indeed the child’s father. Rumors were that the Empress had found herself a lover, who was the child’s real father. While the Empress vehemently dismissed these rumors, the story continued to spread. This was not helped by the Empress’s alcoholism, which only ruined her image with the court. Then one of the maid came forward, saying that a man disguised as a eunuch had visited the Empress’s quarters on multiple occasions over the year. The opinion was soon turning against the Empress on this issue, no matter how much she denied it. Even the populace started blabbering about the Emperor’s inability to keep his wife in check. A joke started to spread among the lower classes, saying “How can he claim to hold the Mandate of Heaven when he can’t even hold on to his wife?”. This was a clear insult to the legitimacy of Emperor Anwu, brought forward by his wife’s alleged indiscretions.

This certainly proved problematic for the first prince. The arrival of Mo Jie, which was supposed to be the start of his triumph, was coupled with the humiliation brought upon him by his mother. While no one had whispered it yet, he knew full well where these rumors would lead. If his mother was able to cheat on Emperor Anwu now, what stopped her from doing it before, when he was out of Liang Province for years on campaign? It was only a matter of time before people started to question his legitimacy, clearly. In a private meeting with his mother, the prince chastised her for her indiscretions, shouting: “YOU ARE RUINING MY FUTURE! OUR FUTURE!” No matter her drunken explanations, Yao Xiu refused to listen to her. He was now thoroughly convinced that his mother had done the inexcusable.

His rising influence quickly started to disappear as the year ended. Proof of this loss of power was the marriage of Yao Yuan in December. Yao Yuan was betrothed to Xu Anzong, daughter of the Minister of Justice Xu Shu. A marriage to the daughter of Emperor Anwu’s most trusted subordinate was sure to help the younger prince in the struggle for succession, which is why the older brother was against it. Yao Xiu wasn’t insane enough to think he could annul the engagement, considering that it had been arranged by his father. But at the very least he had hoped to use his newfound power to delay it. Surely it could wait for the Emperor’s return, right? But his ability to influence such decision was nonexistent after the Empress’s scandal. The marriage went as planned, which Yao Yuan used to free himself from his older brother’s watch.

Not that Tan Huilan was in much state to watch over the younger prince anyway. She was in her last month of pregnancy, eventually giving birth in early January 220. By then, a son would have been Yao Xiu best bet to turn around the situation. Sadly, for both parents, the child would be a girl, Yao Lin, the first Yao grandchild of Emperor Anwu. Without a son to shift attention away from his mother, the birth of the Empress’s child two weeks later became the talk of Chang’an. Empress Cheng continued to claim that the child, named Zhuozhen, was an imperial princess born of the Emperor. But at this point she was the only one believing it, the general consensus being that this was not Emperor Anwu’s daughter.

A few weeks later, Yao Xiu was presented with a provincial official named Wen Zhiwen. The man was loudly claiming that he was the Empress’s lover and that the girl was his. As such, he was demanding a high-ranking office within court. Wen Zhiwen believed that he could gain such position through either his connection to the Empress or by using the scandal to his advantage. It was unknown if he was saying the truth or just someone trying to exploit the situation, but it didn’t matter to Yao Xiu. Paranoid that Wen Zhiwen’s presence might be known to the court, the prince had the man secretly escorted out of the Imperial Capital. But while his identity remained a secret, news that the Empress’s lover had visited the outer court could not be hidden.

Mo Jie was seeing how Empress Cheng was struggling and decided to do something about it. After all, he had always been supportive of her, and had even been the reason that she managed to get married to Emperor Anwu in the first place. During a court session in April, Mo Jie delivered a passionate speech in the defense of the Empress’s honor, claiming that “there was no woman more dutiful and loyal to her husband than the Empress.” Surprisingly, he delivered the speech perfectly. He did not miss a word, nor did a sentence come out all wrong. The only issue was that everyone understood it as sarcasm. Instead of defending the empress, it looked a lot like Mo Jie was criticizing her. Empress Cheng felt betrayed by her longtime ally, and Yao Xiu had a heated discussion with his wife about her father’s priorities.

And then the Emperor came back. The Yang Campaign ended in July a full year after it had started. The Liang Dynasty was victorious, having showed the world that it was on the rise. But as he finally entered Chang’an at the end of the summer, the Emperor found himself welcomed by this embarrassing humiliation. He had hoped to return to the cheers of the crowds, with the court solely focused on his triumph. Instead, his victory was being eclipsed by the scandals caused by his wife. While there were celebrations, including a Grand Banquet in the Emperor’s honor, discussions inevitably veered toward his wife. This was not just humiliating, but dangerous. This scandal presented him as someone who could not even keep his wife under control. This was not the image that the founder of a new dynasty wanted to give. Furious at this situation, Emperor Anwu took it upon himself to resolve this problem.

Empress Cheng did her best to plead with her husband, to try to convince him that she was innocent and that it was all slander against her. She was doing a pretty poor job at it, yet it still seemed to work, as Emperor Anwu did not dismiss her or chastise her in any way. Then she was found dead in her apartments, just after taking her evening meal. It was obvious that someone had poisoned the Empress. While the culprits officially remained unknown, the fact that Emperor Anwu did not have the death investigated or attend the funerals made it clear that he was behind it. The only question among his inner circle was if he had the Empress’s food poisoned or if he forced her to take the poison directly. The answer was never known and changed little to the fact that Emperor Anwu was now a widower. Against Confucian customs, he ignored the mourning period and quickly elevated one of his concubines to the rank of Empress. To no one’s surprise, he chose Consort Liang, the mother of his second son Yao Yuan.

The change of empress was a clear signal for Yao Xiu, who knew that a change of heir would soon follow. After all, why keep the son of the disgraced empress around? At any moment, Emperor Anwu could decree that Yao Yuan was now the Crown Prince, which meant that there was no time to lose. In desperation, the older prince went to his sister Yao Xiaoya, pleading her to convince Pan Zheng to intercede in his favor. But the Chancellor would have none of it, unwilling to risk his neck in a succession dispute. Besides, he had his own neck to worry about. His second campaign against Jiaozhi had been an even bigger clusterfuck than the first one. The whole supply had somehow been shipped to the wrong coordinates. This left the equipment and the food to fall in barbarian hands, with the general sent to oversee the campaign starving to death. After that, the whole operation was cancelled, with Emperor Anwu annoyed at this wasteful use of the Dynasty’s resources.

Yao Xiu then turned to his wife Mo Xiaowen for help. She quickly went to speak with her father, convincing him to have a talk with the Emperor. Mo Jie, happy to help his daughter and his son-in-law, obtained a private audience with the Son of Heaven in early October. Yao Xiu only realized too late what a mistake this was. Emperor Anwu came out of this audience firmly decided on the issue. Two days after the audience with Mo Jie, the Emperor promulgated a new imperial decree promoting his second son Yao Yuan to the rank of Crown Prince. From this point on, Emperor Anwu would declare the succession settled and refuse to hear anything on the matter. Within two weeks, Yao Xiu would be appointed magistrate of a coastal county in Yang Province. While this was officially to ensure the safe integration of the province into the Liang Dynasty, this would amount to an exile from the Imperial Capital, ending Yao Xiu’s hopes of ever becoming the heir. Yao Yuan would be the one to succeed their father. The teenager could only smile at his victory as he said goodbye to his exiled brother.

 

[Bibliophile]

Yao Xiu failed to learn an important lesson until it was to late: never let Mo Jie speak on your behalf.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Mo Jie should be the strong, silent type as words twist between his mouth and others' ears. The job for a man who claims to be the Empress' lover: Royal Daisy Pusher-Upper. Good Luck with the thesis. I wish everybody (especially me) would post as often as you do when you are on hiatus.