The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Ixarys]

Ah, so the old horse finally kicks the bucket. And by his own flesh, nothing less. It’s somewhat poetic, after all the wrongs he did to his family and his people.

I’ve already said it earlier, but I really wasn’t expecting Xiao Ru to rise this high. I created this character in the mind of a cruel but efficient administrator (which turned to be much more petty in the story), with the small twist of the stutter to give flesh to the character. What a run, Xiao, from humble gardener to emperor.

May Xiao Tung learns from the mistakes of his father, and his luck drips on his reign. He will need it.

 

[Zamarak500]

I created this character in the mind of a cruel but efficient administrator (which turned to be much more petty in the story), with the small twist of the stutter to give flesh to the character.

I also expected him to be far more of a smart administrator who was cruely just. Yet his pride and his desire to rule became his main traits, to the point of becoming a tyrant.

What a run, Xiao, from humble gardener to emperor.

Son of a gardener. And that's also a lie, ashis dad was the descendant of an ancient and powerful line of Han officials dating to the start of the dynasty and his mom was the last scion of the ancient dukes of Chen. What are you talking about? Xiao Ru is of the noblest stocks, far more noble than the fake emperors in Chang'an. (this message has been paid by the Chen Imperial Censorate).

 

[Zamarak500]

226-227: STRONGMEN AND A WEAK EMPEROR​

In a way, Emperor Wen had proven that he was his father’s heir. He had managed to complete the Emperor Anwu’s unfinished campaign for Anping Commandery. The Liang Dynasty was expanding once more, and it seemed just as strong as ever. But that was only on the outside. As Emperor Wen graciously allowed Zhao Yun to submit to his authority, he was himself struggling to keep control over his officials, lacking the authority or strong personality that had allowed his father to dominate these men. He needed to find a way to bring these officials under control and reestablish his authority. He was the Emperor after all! The Son of Heaven! It wouldn’t do for him to lose grasp of his own affairs, especially considering how this had ended for the Han when they fell in the hands of others.

One of the ways he found to try and solve this problem were the reforms that Mo Jie was attempting to push at court. Giving some support to the reformist efforts of the Excellency of Works was one way to throw his authority around. If he could support these reforms, he could then claim part of the credit, and thus part of the political capital that came with them. But any reform was sure to be met with sharp opposition from entrenched interests, opponents of these new ideas or simply Mo Jie’s personal rivals. Refusing to go all in on one idea and thus lose the support of some (or showing that he lacked the back bones to do so), Emperor Wen never gave his full support to Mo Jie’s plans. He allowed him to push for them, supported them at time, but didn’t really plan on working hard in their implementations. This was the way Emperor Wen wanted to do things: gain strength by supporting it, show strength by not supporting it. This should work just fine.

But the one thing that undermined his power more than anything these days was the Grand Commandant Xu Chu, whose bullying had been a terrifying reminder that the Emperor lacked his father’s strength when dealing with brutes like the Marquis of Longxi. The way Xu Chu had been reappointed as Grand Commandant was a perfect example of the problem Emperor Wen was facing when dealing with this animal. Even when he was rebuked, even when he was cajoled, Xu Chu simply flew into a rage until he got what he wanted. Emperor Anwu had been strong enough to enforce his decisions and make it clear that there would be consequences if his orders were disobeyed. Emperor Wen did not share this strength of character.

A perfect example of this was the marriage of Emperor Wen’s sister to Xu Chu’s son at the end of April, just as the general was returning from campaign. The marriage had been arranged in 221 by Emperor Anwu as a weird compromise, since Yao Xiaoya had wished to marry Xu Chu instead. Emperor Wen had hoped to push the marriage as far away as possible, trying to annul it behind the scenes. But his half-sister was quick to press him with it. Yao Xiaoya realized how weak her brother’s situation was and how Xu Chu was on the rise. Smart as she was, she decided to edge her bets with the general. If she played her cards right, she might be able to control the Xu Clan from the shadows, and maybe even the Imperial Court. And who knew? Maybe she might find herself the empress of a new dynasty in a few years, as her brother certainly lacked the spine to stop Xu Chu’s rise. Annoyed, Emperor Wen still went with the marriage, officially saying that he simply wanted to remove his sister from court as fast as possible.

One idea the Emperor had to counter the rise of Xu Chu was to bring new allies to the Capital, people who had gravitas to assist him. Because his council and advisors were certainly not going to do so, considering how little they liked him. The first person that came to mind was his brother, Yao Xiu, who now controlled Yang Province in for the Emperor. Surely, his brother would be the last person to wish for Xu Chu’s ascension, and there would be no one more determined to protect the Liang Dynasty. Emperor Wen decided to test the waters on this idea, notably with his Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo (the old one who served Emperor Anwu before, not the man with the same name who ruled the Chen Imperial Court. Yes, both dynasties had an Excellency of the Masses named Ren Duo at the same time). However, Ren Duo and the other officials were far too open to the idea of bringing Crown Prince Xiu to Chang’an, which made Emperor Wen incredibly uncomfortable. Fearful that this might blow in his face, he instead sent additional founding to his brother, telling him to continue the good work of guarding the border and building the Imperial Tomb.

But there was one man he could call upon to weaken Xu Chu: Xu Shu. His father-in-law had been out of power for a year by now, yet unlike the other officials he did not resent the Imperial Clan for pushing him out, instead remaining fully devoted to the new emperor. Xu Shu had been the closest and most trusted ally of his father, so surely he could prove a strong support for Emperor Wen! Empress Xu did warn her husband that her father was old, and even in his prime had never been a great politician. But Emperor Wen needed someone, anyone to take his side, and such an esteemed official seemed perfect. But in an attempt to be subtle, the Emperor first named his father-in-law as Minister of Justice, thus avoiding the need to kick out important officials for now.

But this proved too little to slow down the growing rise of Xu Chu. Either pushed by his junior officers, his relatives or his new daughter-in-law Yao Xioya, the Grand Commandant came forward in June with a preponderous request: he wanted to be made a duke. This was scandalous for many reasons, least of which was the fact that the last man to have asked an emperor for a duchy was Yao Shuren to Emperor Qianfei, and everyone remembered where this had led both men. While on took the throne and founded a new dynasty, the other met an early grave. The decision to request the dukedom was taken by many as a sign that Xu Chu planned to usurp the weak willed emperor. Whenever this was the case or not is unclear. Xu Chu’s lack of political skills seemed to indicate that he lacked an understanding of the big picture or the talents to pull out a subtle usurpation. But then again, it seemed that outright bullying worked just fine, as Emperor Wen did relent and made Xu Chu the Duke of Shu in late June 226.

Trying to save face, Emperor Wen decided to reward other older officials with titles of nobility. This way, he could claim that the dukedom was simply one reward among many he was giving to the old generation of Liang officials instead of a title he had been forced to give away. This might have worked, had almost every single one of these officials not refused. Ren Duo had no trust in the Emperor and declined the title of marquis, as did his father-in-law Xu Shu. Even Mo Jie refused to be made a duke, believing himself unworthy to reach a rank once held by Emperor Anwu. In fact, the only man to accept the title bestowed upon him was Huo Du, who became the Marquis of Yangling. You know, Huo Du, the man mostly known for his lack of loyalty and support to whoever was in charge, especially when this support was most needed. Someone who had a grudge against the Emperor for replacing him as Excellency of Works with Mo Jie. Seeing him of all people be promoted only reinforced the image of disloyal officials pushing their demands on the Emperor, and then getting promoted for it.

This sight was too much for Xu Shu, who decided to come to his son-in-law’s rescue. In a court audience, he chastised those generals who had supported Xu Chu’s demand for a dukedom, and kindly asked his fellow general to renounce his title out of loyalty. Xu Chu scuffed and refused, but this strong opposition from the elderly strategist certainly gave him pause. While Xu Shu was no master politician, his simple presence seemed to at least protect the Emperor from further attacks from the inside. And he had proven decently competent as Minister of Justice even with his growing senility. He led a few high-profile arrests and trials against officials that were getting out of bound, though these trials had often been engineered by the Emperor to remove threats to his power at court. And now that Emperor Wen had found a vehicle through which he could regain his authority, he decided to go all in for once. In August 226, he appointed Xu Shu as Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty.

Of course, this meant removing the previous Chancellor Jin Xuan. Jin Xuan had been an acceptable if somewhat mediocre Chancellor so far. More importantly, he had been a key ally to the reformist attempts of Mo Jie, who the Chancellor personally admired. This removal thus shook the political landscape at court. Some welcomed the change of Chancellor, either because they did not support Mo Jie’s ideas or they thought that Xu Shu was more experienced and gifted in administration than Jin Xuan. But others were worried, as they saw the family of the Empress now seizing the top job, with a senile old man now at the helm (because Emperor Wen certainly wasn’t). Considering how the relatives of empresses had been a major part of the Han emperor’s decline in authority, many Liang loyalist could only feel worried, especially Jin Xuan himself. Jin Xuan angrily begged the Emperor to reconsider. But of course, Emperor Wen was unwilling to lose his newly acquired shield, sending Jin Xuan packing with the help of his father-in-law.

The strategy of using Xu Shu to regain influence proved a successful one, as by the early Autumn Xu Shu and his daughter Empress Xu had replaced Xu Chu as the potential regents of a child emperor. Xu Chu was furious, but there was little he could do. He did not have the skills to control court and use his considerable political influence in the right ways. His new daughter-in-law Yao Xioya tried to help him in this, but this led to his older sons feeling threatened by their sister-in-law and trying to undermine her own position in the family. And besides, Xu Chu still had only one thing in mind: war. He wanted war. And when he was bullying the Emperor, he was not pressing him for more power at court, but for a command against the enemies of the Dynasty. Attack the warlords. Attack the Chen. Attack Budugen the Great if needed. As long as Xu Chu had a campaign to fight.

The Yao Imperial Clan was also reinforced by joyful news. It was found that the Empress was finally pregnant. The child that she had always wanted was finally on its way. Considering how much mental stress and depression the lack of an heir had caused her, this was the most joyful news she could have hoped for. Even so, there was still a chance that this child would be a daughter. But thanks to Crown Prince Xiu, this was no longer an issue, as he had produced a son with his concubine Tan Huilan at the end of the previous year. Yao Xiao was a sickly young baby, but he was alive and he had a penis. The survival of a third generation of the Imperial Yao Clan brought much relief to everyone, as the lack of heir for the two sons of Emperor Anwu had been caused of worries ever since Yao Xiu became the crown prince of his younger brother.

Then toward the end of the year, news came that the pretender in Chenguo had finally died. He seemed to have died of a heart attack or some other old man syndrome that killed you in an instant. Whatever it was, it had removed the worst enemy of the dynasty. But the threat posed by the Chen had not disappeared, since the pretender’s son had succeeded to the throne of the rival dynasty. Emperor Wen knew little of his new enemy, other than that the man was older than him, married to the daughter of Budugen the Great and had military experience. This lack of information troubled the young emperor. After all, this man was going to be his rival just like the pretender Xiao Ru had been his father’s. He made a mental note to send spies to the Chen Dynasty to learn more about his new enemy.

Of course, any news that could be interpreted as instability within the Chen was pushed by Xu Chu and the likes as an opportunity to invade, never mind the fact that the change of emperor had actually ended the most recent Chen civil war. But with Xu Shu’s deteriorating mental state making it harder to use him, Emperor Wen found himself more and more pushed toward war, a war he didn’t want. Not that he wouldn’t like being remembered as the man who reunified China, far from it. The issue was that the credit would not go to him, but to Xu Chu, or whichever general won the war. Not only did he found this prospect unacceptable, but Emperor Wen also knew that Xu Chu might use this prestige to usurp his throne.

While he couldn’t resist Xu Chu’s constant bullying, being far too afraid of the large brute, Emperor Wen at least managed to divert the general toward a smaller target. Wang Li of Jibei now stood as a small island in the middle of a Liang controlled sea. Having called upon Emperor Anwu to protect him against Zhao Yun, he now found himself surrounded and doomed. Had Emperor Anwu been alive, Wang Li would have probably submitted, but he hoped that with a young and inexperienced emperor on the throne he might be able to keep his independence. Local officials, like Governor Cao Lian of Ji Province, had already started to move against Wang Li. Unwilling to let his officials outplay him, Emperor Wen decided in January to launch a campaign toward Jibei, ordering Xu Chu to bring down this pesky little warlord into the imperial fold.

 

[Bibliophile]

Emperor Wen may have things something approximating handled for now; but I see the seeds for the same slow death spiral the Han fell into. That's if he's lucky and the Liang Dynasty isn't just overthrown in his lifetime by Xu Chu. What a melancholy conclusion to Yao Shuren's legacy that would be.

 

[HistoryDude]

The Liang also suffer from a lot of problems. Let's see how this goes. I will admit that I'm cheering for Xu Chu - loyalty to the dynasty of my created character and all.

 

[Midnite Duke]

The Emperor needs to wish for a bone to be placed in his back. The Yao dynasty is in trouble. Thank you for updating

 

[Zamarak500]

226-227: A FRESH START​

After the “sudden and unexpected” death of his father Emperor Cheng, Xiao Hanhe found himself with a window of opportunity. The court was in chaos at this surprising development, with the likes of Ren Duo more focused on trying to keep the peace (or their position) to focus on the greater aspects of the state. Xiao Hanhe was the only one prepared for this day because, well, he was responsible for it. He had managed to free himself from his father, to finally escape the tyrant that had ruled his life. But then he realized what this meant for him. He had an opportunity here, a chance to seize some of the power he always deserved. And with Xiao Tung on the field of battle, there was little his older brother could do about it. But he needed allies, and he needed support.

Xiao Hanhe quickly summoned his brothers to a private meeting. Xiao Tung was away fighting the rebels and Xiao Cang was exiled, but both Xiao Bin and Xiao Dang were present in Chenguo at the time of their father’s death. There was a power vacuum in the absence of an emperor, especially with the Crown Prince away on campaign. Which meant that they had an opportunity to… hum… help the realm. Yes, that sounded nice enough. After all, who was more qualified for this than the princes of the Chen Dynasty? They could seize some of the provinces their father had controlled and appoint themselves governors, thus ensuring that they all held great power under the new emperor. Xiao Tung would have no choice but to recognize their gains, and with such powerbase they would be able to “properly assist” their older brother. Xiao Hanhe even floated the idea that, maybe, just maybe, one of them (him) might be more fit for the throne. After all, Xiao Tung was absent.

Xiao Dang proved willing to go along with the scheme, though not as much because he supported his half-brother than because he didn’t care one way or another. He just wanted to continue working for the dynasty, whatever that entailed. But Xiao Bin proved to be a holdout. Obviously, the middle brother was known for being both quite ambitious and the closest to their father in term of personality. He was smart, scheming and at times uncaring, which might make him disposed to gaining more power. And indeed, Xiao Hanhe’s offer was enticing, as it did not implicitly include removing Xiao Tung as had been the case when his father offered to make him the Crown Prince. But this was still a betrayal of Xiao Tung, with who he got extremely well. This was a difficult decision for the prince, and at the end of the day Xiao Bin asked for a few days to think it over, secretly hoping that it would solve itself for him.

Xiao Bin’s wish would be fulfilled, as Xiao Tung arrived only three days after his father’s death. He had been on his way to Chenguo to speak for the generals, who wished for the Emperor to either send more troops to help win the war or make peace with the rebels. When it became known that the Crown Prince had entered Chenguo, Xiao Bin immediately decided to fully support the oldest brother. Xiao Dang followed suit, blaming this whole idea of seizing provinces on Xiao Hanhe, who was now cowering in fear of Xiao Tung. Xiao Tung, always trusting of Xiao Bin, believed his favorite brother the most, while he agreed to lay the blame on Xiao Hanhe squarely. It didn’t help that some people like the Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo, in an effort to stay relevant, tried to pin the death of the late emperor on Xiao Hanhe. While Xiao Tung didn’t believe these stories, his younger brother still needed to be punished. Their step-brother would be stripped of Chenliu Commandery, which would be given to Xiao Bin instead. Whatever hopes Xiao Hanhe had to take advantage of his father’s death died with this demotion, as did any hope of a future at his brother’s court.

After this little incident was dealt with, Xiao Tung quickly proceeded to his enthronement, with the ceremony overseen by his younger brother Xiao Bin instead of some of his father’s older officials, a clear sign that some aspects of the court were going to change. Ren Duo tried to ease himself into the ceremony, but Xiao Bin skillfully blocked his access to the new emperor, a gleefully enjoyable reversal of fortune for the prince. Xiao Tung quickly decided on a posthumous name for his late father. While he wanted something like Gao (the High) or Wen (the Civil), he was advised by Xiao Bin that this might not go well with the rebels, especially now that peace was on the table. So instead, the name Cheng (the successful) was chosen for the founding emperor of the dynasty. As for Xiao Tung, he would eventually receive the posthumous name of Emperor Wu (陳武帝; ChénWǔ Dì; “The Martial Emperor of Chen”), a name by which he would be known by later generations.

Emperor Wu’s first agenda was to bring an end to the current civil war. For this he called upon his brother-in-law Ding Zhiguo, the one eyed general. The man was respected enough by Chen Tiao that he would probably be received as an envoy if he managed to reach the rebel camp. But Emperor Wen also sent a letter to his oldest daughter, the now Princess Qiaoyun, who was married to the rebel Hu Weizhi. He hoped that she could convince her husband to help bring an end to the conflict. With these efforts, he believed that the current civil war could be brought to a swift end and that the Chen Dynasty could return to peace under his reign.

But these efforts would prove unnecessary. The minute Chen Tiao learned that Emperor Cheng had died, the old general ordered his followers to stop their campaign and put down their arms. Emperor Wu’s overtures were welcomed with open arms by the rebels. After all, their goal had been accomplished. Emperor Cheng no longer sat on the throne, and his far more respectable son now ruled the Chen Dynasty. Chen Tiao personally travelled to Chenguo to meet the new emperor and pledge his loyalty to him, as did the current Grand Commandant Ban Daiping. Both men paid swore themselves to the Son of Heaven at the same time, signaling that the civil war was over. They were now of one mind, all united in their services of Emperor Wu.

With the civil war dealt with, Emperor Wu did not waste any time to reorganize his court and his affairs. Just like his father had previously done, he quickly declared his eldest son Xiao Gong as Crown Prince. While he wasn’t impressed with his son so far, everyone around him advised the Emperor to settle the issue of succession as quickly as possible to avoid factional disputes at court. Once this was settled, he emitted a decree posthumously promoting his mother to the rank of Empress Dowager. His father might have forsaken her memory, but Emperor Wu still loved his mother dearly, and always felt guilty at his inability to save her. Now she was an empress, a title that the Emperor felt her mother deserved for the suffering she endured.

More controversial was the elevation of Changle as the empress, making the now Empress Tanshihuai the first empress in the history of the Chen Dynasty (Emperor Cheng only had First Consorts, never making them empresses). While on the one hand it was expected that the mother of the Crown Prince and the wife of the Emperor be promoted to empress, her barbarian origins made many at court uncomfortable with her elevation. Emperor Wu, by now sick that this attitude had survived two decades of marriage, declared that not only would Changle be his empress, but he would not take concubines to ensure that only Changle’s children could succeed him. This shut down the court quite fast. And in private, the couple hugged and rejoiced, with Changle whispering to her husband: “Finally, our time has come.”

The council and advisors were also going to be changed almost entirely, starting with the Chancellor. While some wished for an elderly and respectable official to take the helm of the Chancellorship, Emperor Wu first wanted people he could trust. And really, there was no one he trusted more than his little brother Xiao Bin. Xiao Bin was smart and far more experienced in political affairs than he was. Clearly, there was no one better for the job. And Xiao Bin would indeed prove to be a competent Chancellor, being well learned, an excellent administrator and an apt politician. And unlike the previous Chancellor, this one would be a permanent fixture of the political scene. He would serve his brother as Chancellor until death would do them apart, proving this to be a great team for the future of the dynasty.

While Ba Daiping had hoped that he would be left as Grand Commandant under the new emperor, theses hopes were quickly dashed. No one was surprised when Hu Zan became the new Grand Commandant. He had far more political skills than Ba Daiping and was an excellent general, possibly the best that the Chen Dynasty had at its disposal. And more importantly, he was a personal friend of the Emperor, having on multiple occasions taken him under his wing to train him in military affairs. The two had fought battles and sieges together and were extremely close. If Emperor Wu wished for advisors that he could trust to support him, then it was obvious that Hu Zan would be the new Grand Commandant. Ba Daiping had to return to being a general among many, and would spend the following years trying to get back to the top of the military hierarchy.

A similar situation happened when it came to the Excellency of Works. The office had been held by Xiao Dang at the time of his father’s death. Seeing how Xiao Bin had been appointed as Chancellor, he was in his right to expect to keep his office under his brother’s regime. But Xiao Bin, ambitious as he was, didn’t want to share Emperor Wu with potential rivals, at least not until he had firmly entrenched himself in his office. Emperor Wu was reminded by his Chancellor how Xiao Dang had first agreed to Xiao Hanhe’s plot, ending any hope that he would keep his job. He was instead replaced by the old Luo An, who had joined the revolt of Chen Tiao earlier this year. Having previously served as the best Excellency of Works in the Chen history, he seemed like the perfect choice for this new government. Just like Ba Daiping, Xiao Dang would spend the following years trying to get back in the inner circle, no matter the cost.

If there might have been doubts that the previous Grand Commandant and Excellency of Works might have stayed, no one believed (or wanted) to see the Excellency of the Masses keep his job. Ren Duo had been hated due to his tight control over court affairs and the way he limited access to the late emperor. But with Emperor Cheng dead, his standing at court suddenly collapsed. Ren Duo had tried to ingratiate himself to the new monarch now that his protector was gone, but he had been countered buy his enemies at every corner. While he was allowed to remain as administrator of Shanyang Commandery due to his loyal years of service, it was clear that his time at court was over. Sadly, his replacement would find himself just as welcomed as Ren Duo. Showing his barbarian tolerance, Emperor Wu picked a barbarian from the west, who had come all the way to Chenguo during his father’s reign to preach the faith of “Buddhism”. While the man did not find new converts, at least he did find a job.

Rounding up this new council were the new Grand Tutor Wen Yaozu and the Imperial Councilor Yang Qub, son of Yang Weili. Wen Yaozu had only recently submitted to the authority of the Chen, fearful of seeing his county conquered by the Liang Dynasty. Unlike the previous warlord to have done so, he had not only kept his office but managed to be elevated as Grand Tutor of the Chen, which was perfect for a scholar like him. He could now guide the Emperor and keep him on the right moral path. As for Yang Qub, he was now back in government after having been kicked out as the first Excellency of Works due to being too young for Emperor Cheng’s tastes. While a bit suspicious of the promotion at first, the son of Yang Weili quickly became overjoyed at the prospect of being back at court. And under a new emperor no less!

The new emperor and his advisors immediately started by proving that this was going to be a new kind of regime. Emperor Cheng had implemented a ruthless justice system, partially inspired by the law code of the tyrannic Qin Dynasty. Emperor Wu decided that for the good of the people, his father’s work needed to be annulled, replaced by the former Han laws that were far more lenient and, in the eyes of the Son of Heaven, fair toward the people. Another notable difference from the previous regime was the role of the Chancellor. Due to his experience and skills, Xiao Bin proved far more influential when it came to the empire’s policies than his predecessors, who were often limited by the more competent Emperor Cheng. But here, the relationship was reversed, with the inexperienced Emperor Wu relying heavily on his brother to implement his view of the Chen Dynasty.

That didn’t mean that everything that Emperor Cheng had done was rejected however. Doing so would have set a bad precedent, with each new emperor destroying the achievements of his predecessor. For example, all the judgments handled under Emperor Cheng were held, and no general pardon was proclaimed upon the ascension of Emperor Wu. This included the exile of Xiao Cang, the youngest son of the late emperor. Emperor Wu felt guilty over the banishment of his brother, especially as it was his actions that in avertedly led to this. But Xiao Bin feared that his younger brother, who was just as ambitious and competent as he was, could become a rival at court. Using their close relationship, Xiao Bin convinced his older brother that recalling Xiao Cang was a step too far. Even so, Emperor Wu made it clear that no official would be punished for helping his younger brother, which is how Xiao Cang finally settled on the coast and tried to become a merchant.

But that didn’t mean that everyone was happy with the new regime. In January 227, a peasant revolt erupted on the most northern border of the Chen Dynasty. The reason for this small uprising were unknown. It might have been caused by a desire to free themselves from the Chen in favor of the Liang. It might have been due to the mismanagement of Yuan Rei’s regents in the region. It might have simply been anti-barbarian xenophobia, both due to the barbarians living so close to their villages on the border and news that they now had a barbarian empress. Whatever the reason, this revolt could not be tolerated. Emperor Wu dispatched the general He Jintao to deal with the revolt. Having been the regent of a young Tao Shenquan and a friend of his father, the choice of this general was a clear sign that the new emperor was far mor tolerant of former enemies than his predecessor.

But his new tolerant ways were not popular with his Excellency of Works. Luo An, for all his problems with Emperor Cheng, was one of the greatest supporters of his ruling style. Just like the late emperor, Luo An was a firm believer in a central government that oppressed the empire with ruthless and heavy laws to keep the people in line. Seeing the Chancellor and the Emperor abandon this path was disheartening for the old official. He found himself straddled with the duties of rebuilding the dynasty from the damages inflicted by the years of civil wars all the while he watched it fall on what he thought to be the wrong path. By April 227, Luo An requested to be excused from his duties as Excellency of Works, citing his old age and his inability to be useful to the Son of Heaven. While saddened by this, Emperor Wu did remove Luo An from office as requested.

This meant that for the first time of his reign, Emperor Wu had to reshuffle his council. This one would prove easy, as the Emperor still had one longtime supporter who he had yet to reward: Ding Gongsi. Ding Gongsi had been a supporter of Emperor Wu since the death of his father Ding Yan all the way back in 209. Ding Yan himself had been something of an early mentor to the future emperor, trying his best to encourage his military interest and easing him in the position of heir apparent. For those years of service, he was appointed as the new Excellency of Works. The ambitious man gladly accepted the promotion, quite happy that his loyalty had finally paid off.

But this would not be the only reward that Ding Gongsi would receive, as the services of the Ding Clan were simply too numerous for a reward as simple as a promotion. First of all, Ding Gongsi was made the Marquis of Liang, a clear sign of the new emperor’s favors toward him. But this was nothing compared to what he received in May. By that point the peasant uprising had been easily quashed, and celebrations were due to enjoy this first victory. At the celebratory banquet, Emperor Wu announced that the Crown Prince Xiao Gong would be married to Ding Caichun, the ambitious daughter of Ding Gongsi. If things went well, this meant that Ding Gongsi would one day be the father-in-law of the next emperor, a prospect that already made him salivate.

After half a year on the throne, officials started to notice some changes in the Emperor’s attitude. As the crown prince, Emperor Wu had earned a reputation as a humble and discreet man who knew his place and often downplayed his role out of kindness or humility. But now it seemed that the taste of power was getting to his head. He was now more assertive, more certain of himself, more… arrogant. Some officials started to fear that his newfound pride would end up ballooning to the levels of his father’s, who was notably unable to admit any wrongs. While Emperor Wu was nowhere near the arrogance of Emperor Cheng, he was certainly becoming more confident in himself and his abilities.

And there was nowhere Emperor Wu was more certain of himself than in his military abilities. With generals like Hu Zan and Ding Zhiguo by his side, he was confident that he could face any threat and have a chance at victory. And being the military man that he was, Emperor Wu decided to put this to the test. There remained only one warlord between the Chen and the Liang Dynasties: Cao Mang and the Cao Army. Their vast domain had been reduced to Dong Commandery since the death of Cao Cao, which was now ruled by Cao Mang’s regents. Unwilling to let this opportunity for expansion fall to the Liang, Emperor Wu launched a campaign against the Cao in June 227. Just like Emperor Anwu before him, he left his imperial capital confident in his upcoming victory. The question that remained was if he was going to meet the same surprise that had befell upon the Liang founder.

 

[HistoryDude]

It seems as if the Chen Dynasty will make a move on the last independent holdout...

Emperor Wu is doing a lot of reshuffling. I wonder if that will come back to bite him? After all, Xiao Hanhe is still alive, and he might make a play for the throne...

 

[Bibliophile]

All hail Emperor Wu! May he lead the Chen Dynasty well.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Chen has a better start for new emperor than Liang. Too many brothers, how will this bite Wu? Thank you for updating

 

[Zamarak500]

226-227: MO JIE AND THE MINTING RIGHTS​

In 225, Mo Jie had been brought back as Excellency of Work by Emperor Wen in an attempt to link his reign to that of his father. As such, older officials who had been pushed aside by Emperor Anwu started to resurface and regain some of their lost prominence. Mo Jie would probably be one of the most successful of these elderlies returning to active duties, as he not only managed to get his old job back but also gained far more influ7ence than he had under the previous regime. His return in the Imperial Capital certainly led to many talks, especially considering how he had been kicked out of Chang’an. Yet here he was again, with a big happy smile on his face and a massive agenda to push forward.

Many were surprised to see Emperor Wen bringing back the old official. As far as people knew, the Emperor was neither a barbarian lover like Mo Jie nor was he particularly caring of “the people”. More importantly, Mo Jie was the father-in-law of Yao Xiu, which led many believed that this made the old man an ally for the ambitious prince. But the relationship between brothers had been mended since Emperor Wen’s ascension to the imperial throne. Instead, the Emperor sought to gain on two fronts by appointing Mo Jie. First, it would show that he had the trust of his father’s old advisors and thus allow him to link his reign to the prestige of his father. Secondly, if even his brother’s father-in-law became one of his closest advisors, then it would show everyone that he was the best emperor possible, right?

When Mo Jie went to the capital, he did not come alone. He brought his wife, his concubines, as well as his youngest daughter Mo Xinyue, the only one who was too young to be yet married. More controversially was the presence of his adopted son, the Di barbarian Mo Duo. Even Mo Jie was surprised by his willingness to return to Chang’an, considering how the others acted around him. But Mo Duo dearly wished to return to the luxury of the city life. As it turned out, the barbarian did not truly share his father’s love for the common people or diversity. Mo Jie had hoped to adopt a man who would uphold his ideas and continue his work once he was gone. Instead, Mo Duo was quickly adopting the Chinese lifestyle, enjoying all the opulence that came with it. He didn’t care about his barbarian origins or the common folk. If anything, he wanted to live the life of the rich elite, which was not what Mo Jie had hoped when he adopted the man.

Mo Jie’s first task as Excellency of Works had been to help the various construction projects and economic works ordered by the Emperor, including sending gold to Liang Province for the construction of the late emperor’s mausoleum. In this, he proved invaluable help for the then Chancellor Jin Xuan. Jin Xuan found himself overwhelmed in his duties. Previously, he had only been assisting Emperor Anwu, who had a firm grip on the economy and the finances of the Liang Dynasty. But Emperor Wen could barely be called competent in that department, leaving the Chancellor suddenly submerged by a massive new workload. Mo Jie happily offered to help, including in affairs that did not directly connect to his duties. And for this, he gained the eternal respect of Jin Xuan. The Chancellor even admitted that he admired the old official for his devotion to the people of the Liang, no matter their origins.

Sadly for Mo Jie, this new ally would soon be discarded by the Emperor, with who the Chancellor had a difficult relationship. In the struggle between Emperor Wen and his Grand Commandant Xu Chu (a struggle in which Mo Jie did not participate whatsoever), the Emperor appointed his father-in-law Xu Shu as first Minister of Justice in May and then as Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty in August. This meant that Mo Jie lost a powerful ally for his ideas of reforms. While he had a cordial relationship with Xu Shu, their priorities had always been different. Xu Shu’s priority was his loyalty to the Emperor, while Mo Jie always tried to guide his liege toward reforms for the people.

This came just as Mo Jie was working on his first great reform for the Liang Dynasty, which he presented at the end of 226. With the Emperor’s difficulties with monetary policies and the rapid expansion of the Liang Dynasty, a variety of coinage had began circulating. Coins from the Han, coins from the Liang, and now in some eastern part of the Dynasty there could even be some coins from the Chen. This obviously left some people confused, and more importantly, it led to some opportunists counterfeiting coins. This was a massive crime, as the right to mint coins was the sole prerogative of the central government. To eradicate this problem before it became too large, Mo Jie came with a simple solution: let them. More precisely, he wanted the provincial and local officials to gain the right to mint the imperial coins themselves, thus ending the imperial monopoly on coin fabrication.

Many provincial governors jumped at this opportunity to expand their powers. While Xu Chu didn’t care about this (as he had an even weaker grasp on finance than the Emperor), others quickly voiced their support for Mo Jie’s idea. Xuan Mei, the Governor of Bing Province and son of the infamous Xuan Su, was able to see the advantages that would come with such extension of his own power. Even better, this was something that his father had never been able to do, so Xuan Mei saw this as the next step toward improving the fortune of the Xuan Clan. When Mo Jie heard of this, he was happy to see that Xuan Mei was such a kind young man who cared about the people.

Another supporter of this reform was the Governor of Jing Province, the now 69 years old Wang You. Having first gained relevance after fleeing Jiang Xian’s seizure of Luoyang in 200, he became a loyal subordinate of Liu Siyuan, who quick started his career in the south. When Emperor Anwu seized these territories, he made Wang You the Governor of Jing Province, trying to pacify the former officers of Liu Siyuan and push them to submit to his authority. It worked, and while Wang You had been a forgettable governor so far, he had proven just good enough to never be removed from office. His only real flaw was how greedy he could be at times. When news came of Mo Jie’s idea, he of course jumped at the opportunity to see his pockets get filled.

Now, Mo Jie didn’t think of this as a way to breed corruption or enrich powerful governors. He simply saw it as a tool to reduce the monopoly of the Liang central government and instead send it back to the provinces. For all his years serving the powerful Yao Shuren, Mo Jie had kept the values that had driven him since he joined the Liang Rebellion four decades ago. Even now, he still remembered how the central imperial government could turn into a tyrannical threat to the people on a whim. In order to avoid this happening to the Liang (or to at least place roadblocks to this tyranny), Mo Jie hoped to strengthen the power of the provinces, which had far more knowledges about the needs of the region and people that they ruled over. And being as kind as he was, he hoped (maybe even believed) that these measures, under the right governors, could lead to prosperous provinces with happy peasants.

Of course, not everyone agreed with these ideas. Some believed that the central government was the key to the prosperity of the Liang Dynasty. When asked if there was a precedent to this, the Grand Tutor awkwardly brought up the last time a similar policy had been implemented, which fatefully happened under Emperor Wen of Han (180-157 BC). At the time, the Han Dynasty included many vassal kings who were relatives of the emperor. Emperor Wen of Han decided, among his own reforms, to grant these kings minting rights in their kingdoms. The strengthening of the kings had eventually led to the Rebellion of the Seven States in 154 BC under the reign of Wen’s successor Emperor Jing of Han (157-141 BC). Needless to say, not a great precedent to support the reforms. When asked about his personal opinion on the subject, the Grand Tutor wisely balked and excused himself, fearful of speaking his mind too freely.

The Excellency of the Masses also proved an opponent of Mo Jie, in great part because the two men had never really liked each other on a personal level. Ren Duo was a cynical and at time cruel man, who was often stricken by bouts of depression and feelings of inferiority. Seeing the kind and oh so noble Mo Jie come back into the spotlight, and with the support of this new bratty emperor at that, was a frustrating annoyance for the envious old man. For his part, Mo Jie had never been comfortable with Ren Duo. The man’s time as Chief Clerk of Liang Province had been, in Mo Jie’s eyes, a disaster. While they didn’t despise themselves as much as Mo Jie and Duan Zuo, these two old officials were definitively on opposing sides.

But more troubling for the old official was that one of his biggest critics proved to be his son-in-law Crown Prince Xiu. While they were bound by marriage, the oldest child of Emperor Anwu was very much his father’s son, believing that any erosion of imperial power was a threat to the dynasty. And it wasn’t like he had to go as far as Emperor Wen of Han to prove his point. In order to crush the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184, the Han Dynasty had empowered its governors and local officials, leading to its collapse and its eventual replacement by the Liang. And now he was supposed to allow Mo Jie to do the same to the Liang Dynasty? It didn’t help that he had Duan Zuo as one of his advisors. Mo Jie’s old enemy had been pardoned by Emperor Wen once the young monarch took the throne and now served as an advisor to the Crown Prince, who just like his father chose to ignore the old scholar’s flaws due to his talent. And if Mo Jie wanted something, you could be sure that Duan Zuo would oppose it.

The reforms of Mo Jie were pushed to the background during the first half of 227 due to the various changes and issues that rocked the Dynasty. So many things required the attention of the court during this period: a change of empress, followed by a change of Chancellor. The overthrow of a governor. A governor trying to overthrow another governor… So many things that were going wrong, not helped by Emperor Wen’s meek responses to these crises. And to top it all off, Governor Wang You, who had been a big supporter of Mo Jie’s reforms, died off in March 227 at the age of 71. His successor, a young upstart named Qin Mao, had neither the skills nor the interest in getting involved in imperial politics, and clearly wished for nothing more than live a quiet life as a provincial governor without making too much efforts (and did not at all plan to become one of the greatest heroes of the Liang Dynasty).

A real push for his reforms for a more fair and decentralized government thus had to wait until the autumn, and by then many at court were fiercely divided on the issue. Mo Jie had accidentally pushed a large part of the officialdom into one of the greatest crimes of ancient China, along with treason and witchcraft: factionalism. It was illegal to form groups, parties and factions to advance their own ideologies and policies, as all officials had to be united in their service of the emperor, at least on paper. Of course, it might be argued that for many officials this was more a question of their personal opinions of Mo Jie than political disagreements. And besides, it wasn’t like Emperor Wen was going to enforce his authority at court, not directly at least. He found it far more useful to play the various groups in order to regain some form of control over his affairs.
______________________________

Wu Chunguang was striding toward to inner court in full confidence. He was a striking figure, after all, and he damn well knew it. He was quite tall, presenting an impressive figure in his robes. He heard some of the oldest officials that had somehow survived the last decades of chaos compared his stature to that of Jiang Xian, the evil Chancellor who doomed two emperors under his charges, Emperor Xian (189-201) and Emperor Mu (201-206). Clearly those were compliments kindly thrown at him, as he heard that Jiang Xian had been a virtuous man before he was corrupted by power. How kind of others to remind him to stay on the right path this way.

Still, as much as he enjoyed walking around under the beautiful sun, he needed to hasten his pace. The court was about to begin, and today was the big day. The Excellency of Works was about to debate for the last time his policy before the Son of Heaven made a decision. What wisdom of the Emperor to wait as long before settling on a n issue. This truly showed how wise the young monarch was, and how final his word would be when the decision was made. After all, his Imperial Majesty was not the sort of man to bend when pressured.

He was not the only one making his way to the court. As he approached the stairs of the palace, he joined the wave of officials arriving for the court audience. It might have been difficult to navigate had he not been a full head higher than everyone else. This also allowed him to spot the man trying to make his way toward him.

“Administrator Wu! Wait… Get out of the way! Excuse me… Passing through!” he told officials as he approached Wu Chunguang.

The man who was trying to reach him was one of his fellow comrades in their desires of reforms. Around the same age as he was, Jiao Gongzi had been another of the officials who rallied around the reformist ideas of the Excellency of Works. A just and kind man, with somewhat of a temper, he made a good enough impression to be appointed as administrator of Zuopingyi Commandery in August. Previously, he had been serving in the ministry of agriculture, where he excelled and even received a recommendation for his excellency Mo Jie himself. Wu Chunguang felt happy for his companion, knowing that he surely had a great career in front of him, though it surely helped that he was Empress Xu's maternal uncle.

“Administrator Jiao.” Wu Chunguang welcomed him. “I see you are present as well.”

“Of course.” Jiao Gongzi answered with a smile. “His Excellency will need all the support available to pass his policies.”

“You mean the Emperor’s policy.” the tall man corrected him.

“Of course, of course.” Jiao Gongzi answered, though he rolled his eyes for some reason. Hopefully he wasn’t sick.

“I hope that his Excellency can make a good impression.” Wu Chunguang continued. “He is quite the speaker, but even he might need help to convince the Son of Heaven of the right path.”

“I just hope the impression he makes is the one he wishes for.” Jiao Gongzi remarked as they ascended the stairs.

The tall man could now see the entrance of the court, with the herd of officials removing their shoes before entering the sanctity of the imperial court. As the two men did the same, the two companions noticed the man standing in front of them. He had and old face, with what grey remained in his bushy beard slowly turning to white. His back was slightly curved, a sign of his advanced age. Even so, his eyes were full of energy, and his wrinkled face did not hesitate to present a warm smile to the two officials. They immediately saluted the old Excellency of Works, having failed to notice him up until now.

“Welcome your Excellency!” they both said.

Mo Jie simply nodded as he difficultly removed his shoes. Seeing this, Jiao Gongzi fell to his knees and kindly offered his help, which the old man gladly took.

“How are you feeling today your Excellency?” Jiao Gongzi asked him as he stood back up.

“Indeed!” Mo Jie answered with conviction, a finger raised at the sky.

Both officials laughed as a response, all the while looking at each other trying to figure out what the heck Mo Jie meant by this. They eventually decided to drop the issue and simply enter court with him. The officials within the court were all placed in two massive lines on each side, allowing a clear path to the Imperial Throne should someone be ordered to advance. And there he was, at the front of it all. The Son of Heaven in all his majesty and greatness. The Emperor was silent, looking over his court patiently as the rows were filled with officials, who quickly bowed to their heavenly monarch.

“Long live his Imperial Majesty! Long live the Liang!” they repeated.

The Emperor nodded before indicating the Chancellor to approach him, passing him a document to read in front of the court.

“His Imperial Majesty, in his heavenly wisdom, shall now hear the Excellency of Works Mo Jie on his suggested reforms for the Dynasty! After which, he shall allow the Excellency of the Masses and the Grand Tutor to present a rebuke of his Excellency’s argument! Thus he has decreed!”

The courtiers all applauded the Emperor’s decree for today’s court, after which those concerned stepped forward. Mo Jie was the first, quickly followed by the Grand Tutor Shang Zhongwu and the Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo.

“What do you have to say, your Excellency?” the Emperor asked Mo Jie. “Why should we follow your ideas.”

Mo Jie cleared his throat for a moment, making strange grumpy growls in the process. He then gave one last look to his allies in the crowd, with Wu Chunguang giving him a nod of support. Mo Jie stepped forward, looking straight at the Emperor before turning to the assembled officials.

“BIRDS! Birds flying inside old men, eating the fishes provided. Free of swords and apples. Tyranny of the willow! Look around you. Can’t you see? Freedom for the weoskdrws! Unity in the lands of the farms eating people! Can’t this future be marooned? Can’t this ship be cajoled? I see nothing! But I see fantastical beans! Beans of tyranny! That I ate! Miam miam! The future is ours, ladies of the woods! Because officials are good to the! And so it am joyful. The Emperor must goof to right! Luoyang is fright goody! I rest!”

Mo Jie then stepped aside, seemingly happy that he had convinced his audience. Meanwhile, Wu Chunguang, Jiao Gongzi and every other official were whispering between themselves, trying to figure out what the heck the Excellency of Works had just said.

“Grand Tutor?” the Emperor asked, seemingly unfazed. “Your rebuttal?”

The Grand Tutor started to baffle, unsure what words to use to answer this. Instead, it was Ren Duo who spoke for him.

“Your Radiant Highness! How can we respond to this nonsense?” the Excellency of the Masses protested. “This wasn’t even a proper speech! This was… nothing! It started with birds and ended with some nonsense about Luoyang! And what does ‘weoskdrws’ even mean?”

Mo Jie seemed confused at this rant from his political opponent. Whatever he wanted to say clearly did not translate into words correctly.

“His Excellency simply voiced a desire for a happy populace and a strong emperor.” Emperor Wen retorted.

“Is that what you heard?” Ren Duo inquired.

“I… hum… Yes?” the Emperor whimpered before regaining his composure. “I am still waiting for your rebuttal, Grand Tutor.”

Shang Zhongwu just looked around in silence, unwilling to face the humiliation that would come with his attempt to argument with Mo Jie. Seeing that the Grand Tutor would not speak, Emperor Wen turned to his Chancellor and said:

“Please, see with his Excellency of Works that the reforms are implemented.”

This of course caused an uproar among the courtiers. Some shouted in joy, while other demanded that the Emperor reconsider. Panicked by the current situation, Emperor Wen adjourned the court to make a quick exit out of this difficult situation, choosing to flee instead of standing up for his decision. As for the officials, they exited, either grumbling in their beard or joyfully celebrating. One ally of Mo Jie even offered to organize a banquet at his residence to celebrate. Meanwhile, the two companion simply stared at each other in confusion.

“Did we win?” Wu Chunguang asked.

“… seems like it.” Jiao Gongzi answered, still confused about what had happened in court.

 

[Bibliophile]

Good to see a Mo Jie focused chapter. His speech before the Emperor was certainly….something. At least his indecipherable rambling actually worked out for him in this case.

 

[streaker77]

Emperor Cheng was right to be wary of his children, however he was barking up the wrong tree, if he hadnt been so focused on Xiao Tung....

I did like that scene with Hanhe, especially with the callback to Chengs strangling of his wife and the ''Im free moment''

Pity about Mo Duo, I had high hopes for him but it appears his time at court has left him lazy and oppulent.

 

[HistoryDude]

That was an interesting strategy, but the sheer audacity worked.

Why did Mo Jie expect a barbarian to like? History should've shown that barbarians love adapting to civilized culture - it happened all the time in Chinese history. Examples include the Shang and a few kingdom during the Spring and Autumn/Warring States periods.

It's nice to see that the Xu Clan is still doing well.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Mo Jie, the world's greatest orator until Elmer Fudd. A Mo Jie chapter, the end must be nigh. Thank you for your representation of my character.

 

[Zamarak500]

227-228: THE PROBLEMS OF THE LIANG​

Even with his father-in-law acting as his shield against the evils of his Grand Commandant Xu Chu, Emperor Wen was still greatly afraid of the brute. Xu Chu wanted a war, and he insisted that the Emperor give him one. Of course, Emperor Wen was not going to let him invade the Chen Dynasty like he wanted, especially with their new popular emperor in charge. In that scenario, the Emperor was unsure if victory or defeat would be the worst outcome. In order to avoid the consequences of this dangerous campaign, he instead directed his angry Grand Commandant toward Wang Li of Jibei, a far smaller target that was on borrowed time anyway.

Within days of Xu Chu’s departure from Chang’an, Empress Xu finally gave birth to her long-awaited child. For years, she felt hinder over her inability to produce a son, leading the quiet and well-behaved empress toward a spiral of depression and dark thoughts. But now she had finally managed to spend enough time with Emperor Wen to produce a child, he who showed little interest in his wife. The awaited pregnancy produced a child, much to the joy of the imperial couple… until the physicians told them that the child lacked a penis. Instead of a boy, Emperor Wen now had a third daughter, Princess Yuying.

Empress Xu, who had recovered during her pregnancy, now fell back into depression at double speed. She somehow blamed herself for not giving the Emperor a son, and quickly became inconsolable. It didn’t help that Emperor Wen didn’t give her much of his attention, which only added to her chagrin. She refused to see her daughter, and soon she barely met with anyone at all. Still, everyone was shocked when in early March 227, news came that the Empress had “died of depression”. It seemed that her self-proclaimed failures had been too much for her to endure. The death of Empress Xu shocked the court, with the Emperor immediately entering a period of mourning (though a short one).

Her death also made his relationship with the Chancellor a bit awkward. His now former father-in-law was still useful, but they had a lot less reasons to cooperate. After all, even if Xu Shu claimed to be loyal, the fact was that the loss of any familial link might weaken their relationship. It didn’t help that the old Chancellor’s mental state deteriorated even more with the sudden death of his daughter. While Emperor Wen publicly continued to support Xu Shu and insisted that he would remain in his functions, in private this was another story. Firing this esteemed and respected of man was sure to trigger the anger of many old officials, even as Xu Shu was losing grip with reality. Which meant that the Emperor was stuck with him, unless he found a less orthodox way to remove his best ally…

But both the issue of his lack of empress and of his chancellor would have to wait, as Emperor Wen found himself overwhelmed with bad news from the provinces. While the war against Wang Ji was going perfectly, it seemed that some officials had decided to use this to further their own agendas. In February, You Province found itself under attack, and his governor threatened to be arrested and deposed. And who was launching such daring attack against a Liang governor? None other than Governor Xuan Mei of Bing Province, the son of Xuan Su. The head of the Xuan Clan had never forgotten how his father had once controlled both provinces. Ever since he had succeeded his father, the governor had planned for an opportunity to “take back” You Province. And having seen how week the imperial government was, Xuan Mei decided to test his luck.

Of course, the governor of You Province was furious at this attack by his neighbor. It was illegal, it was disgraceful, it was treason! The governor wrote angry letters to Chang’an, demanding that the Emperor and his court do something about the situation. At first inclined to let Xuan Mei have his way (and thus providing Xu Chu with a rival in the north strong enough to oppose him), he quickly changed his mind once pressured by his courts and the envoys from You Province. Thankfully for him, Xuan Mei was just as much of a coward as he was, and the empty threat of imperial retribution proved enough to convince the governor to stand down by the end of June. Xuan Mei grumbled and packed his bag to go home, though he promised himself that he would return to claim You Province one day.

Besides, the Emperor was readily provided with a rival for Xu Chu in April, so there was no insensitive to allow Xuan Mei’s expansion anymore. In late April, news came that the Governor of Ji Province Cao Lian had been arrested and removed from office, with… Zhao Yun leading this coup? The recently conquered official had been pardoned, and now he thanked the Emperor by seizing a province for himself? And now he was asking to be recognized as the rightful governor of the province after “arresting the corrupt Cao Lian”? Well… okay. Emperor Wen certainly didn’t have the spine to send an army to fight Zhao Yun. Instead, he simply presented this as his plan going perfectly. He could even point to Zhao Yun crushing a peasant revolt in May as proof that he was right. He now had a general to challenge Xu Chu if necessary, even if that general did not obey any of his orders and had a burning hatred for the Liang Dynasty. Just as planned.

By the end of May, Emperor Wen decided that two months were enough to mourn his dead wife. An empress was a powerful tool that he could not deprive himself of. The in-laws he got from the Empress could easily become the allies he needed to stave off powerful generals, just as had been the case with Xu Shu. After taking a look at his harem, he decided that only one of the women was smart enough and of good enough birth to fulfill his goal. Wishing to have an empress that could assist him this time, Emperor Wen elevated the 21 years old Pan Xiaoji, the daughter of the first Chancellor of the Liang Pan Zheng. She had already given him a daughter as a concubine, and had since proven a competent and charismatic woman. She was perfect to assist him as his empress, and her lineage would surely make her easy to digest by the court. Now all that was left to deal with was his former father-in-law…

While all this was happening, Xu Chu was waging a war to take Jibei, an opportunity that left him overjoyed and hungry for more. And he got it when Wang Li asked his overlord Cao Mang to come to his aid. The Cao Army, now ready to reestablish some influence outside of its meager territories, were quick to send the great generals Cao Ren and Xiaohou Yuan to come help the pleading warlord. When he heard of this, Xu Chu started to salivate. This was more like it, a fight worthy of his strength! While some of his subordinates managed to convince him to send a detachment to Jibei, Xu Chu still kept the majority of the troops to fight the two generals, ready to achieve what even Emperor Anwu had failed to do.

Xu Chu finally met the Cao Army in battle in the middle of June. He had almost twice the amount of troops that the Cao generals had brought to the battlefield, and as always Xu Chu proved overly confident of his own chances. He was thus mightily frustrated when after three days of fighting the battle remained a stalemate. While some of his generals had advised him to retire, Xu Chu responded by beating them half to death. He would not have his victory denied! Sadly, this was not up to him. By the fourth day of fighting, news came that Jibei had surrender, thanks to the detachment he had lukewarmly sent to besiege Wang Ji. Meanwhile, the Cao Army retired without a fight, returning home to defend Dong Commandery from the invasion of Emperor Wu of Chen.

Xu Chu was pissed. He had been promised a great victory against powerful enemies, and now it had slipped from his grasp at the last moment. Emperor Wen was quickly made aware of the raging beast coming back to the Imperial Capital. Empress Pan advised him to stand firm, but there was no way he was going to do that. Fearful of what his Grand Commandant might do once he returned, the Emperor opted to immediately divert him to another war before he reached Chang’an. He instead targeted Xu Chu against two barbarian chieftains that resided between Jing and Yang Provinces. One of these chieftains was Huang Rang, who had been in charge of his people since 194 and had actually gained his independence by helping Hu Zan’s revolt against Yang Weili in 200 before abandoning him at the first opportunity. The other was a rebellious old man who had seized his territories from Huang Rang. With their bickering, they were perfect targets for the Liang Dynasty.

This immediate new war not only proved a way to send Xu Chu away, but also to distract the public from the bad luck that continued to befell the Yao Imperial Clan. Having lost his empress three months ago, Emperor Wen was made aware in June that his nephew Yao Xiao had passed away at the age of 2. The toddler had been seen by many as the future of the dynasty, the only Yao clansman of the next generation. Yet now he had passed away, leaving his father Crown Prince Xiu distraught and frustrated. People now started to wonder if the Yao Clan truly held the Mandate of Heaven, a dangerous topic of discussion that made the Emperor worried. Emperor Anwu had difficulties producing a child until his later life, and now his sons failed to bring the next generation. This had to be a sign, right? Emperor Wen thus hope that the new war would help divert attention away from this familial issue.

Talking of family, Emperor Wen decided that it was about time to remove his former father-in-law as Chancellor. Of course, he couldn’t simply fire him, so he came with an even simpler solution: assassination. With the help of Empress Pan (who was all too happy to remove the last vestige of her predecessor), Emperor Wen had Xu Shu poisoned at the end of July 227. This proved an easy task due to the old man’s deteriorating mental health, and he happily drank the poison that killed him at the age of 54. He had been Emperor Anwu’s most loyal follower, and even after the late emperor’s death had remained stalwartly loyal to the Yao Clan. And as a reward, he was assassinated on the Emperor’s order.

Emperor Wen’s decision might have been influenced by the fact that he already had a replacement ready in the wing. The choice of a new chancellor was not delayed, and within a day Gan Mian had been appointed as Xu Shu’s replacement. Serving as the Magistrate of Tangyang, Gan Mian had proven to be a decent administrator and politician, and an even better general. However, he only came to the Emperor’s attention during the recent campaign against Wang Ji, where he was the officer who insisted that Xu Chu sent a detachment to Jibei. Hearing of this man confronting the Grand Commandant immediately made Gan Mian the most prized official in the Emperor’s eyes. And after meeting each other, the Emperor was even more convinced about the usefulness of Gan Mian. An honorable, just, kind and brave man, Gan Mian might prove an even better shield against Xu Chu than Xu Shu. Soon after this meeting, Emperor Wen had Xu Shu killed and replaced him with his new favorite Gan Mian.

Talking of favorite, the Emperor also dispatched another general on this new campaign, hoping to steal some of Xu Chu’s thunder. Once again, this task fell on Feng Desi, the general who Emperor Wen was somehow convince could prove a match for Xu Chu. The issue was that for all his bragging, Feng Desi did not have the guts to stand up to the Grand Commandant. In fact, he had been trying his very best to avoid the brute ever since their first campaign together. Realizing the problem, Emperor Wen found a quick solution. He would simply send Xu Chu against Huang Rang, while Feng Desi would handle the other barbarian chieftain. Perfect solution, as long as they managed to convince Xu Chu that he was responsible for both victories.

In September, Emperor Wen received a shocking letter from his sister Yao Xiangjun, who he had last seen when she left to go marry a barbarian and live in the Xianbei Confederacy. She was informing him that Khagan Budugen the Great had just died at the age of 62. The man had turned the Xianbei into the primary nomadic force north of China, destroying the Wuhuan horde and crushing the various Xiongnus Khanates. And now he had passed away. Some historians would later note how at the start of 225, Emperor Anwu, Emperor Cheng and Budugen the Great all lived, yet they left this world in the span of two years.

Replacing Budugen was his oldest living son Xibaxiong, who was married to Emperor Wen’s sister. Having previously served in the Liang elite barbarian cavalry established by Emperor Anwu, Emperor Wen could hope that his brother-in-law would prove amicable toward the Liang Dynasty. But this stay south had only reinforced Xibaxiong hatred for the Chinese. Envoys sent by the Liang court returned without any deal or alliance, as the new Khagan wanted to make his own path free of Chinese influence. This certainly made the Emperor squirm in his seat, his worries only made slightly better by the fact that Chen envoys also failed to arrange any agreement with the new khagan.

It was at the end of the year that the Excellency of Works Mo Jie finally managed to push forward his planned minting reforms. The Emperor now feeling that he was free to deal with this affair, he had the old official debate the issue against his opponents in front of the court. Surprisingly, Mo Jie won the debate. Unsurprisingly, he did so by saying complete nonsense to the point of disarming his opponents and silencing his critics. With this, Emperor Wen felt confident to implement these new reforms, which he hoped would help add prestige to his regime and lead the following generations to remember him as a great reformer, even if those reforms were not really his.

As 227 ended with a court victory, 228 would open with a military one. Feng Desi managed to get into a fight with the barbarian forces of Huang Rang in January. It was actually a pure accident, running into them as the barbarians were trying to avoid the army of Xu Chu. This led to the only battle of this whole campaign. Feng Desi, while convinced that he was the greatest general in history, still insisted on a far too prudent strategy. This meek approach to warfare allowed Xu Chu to come join Feng Desi and push the general around, leaving the brutish general basically in charge of the battlefield. With both imperial expeditions unified, the barbarians stood no chance and were easily crushed.

With the victory at Nankang, the issue of this campaign became set in stone. By February, one of the two barbarian chieftains surrendered and saw his lands be annexed by the Liang Dynasty. The other one had his remaining possession overran by the Liang army in March, ending the whole expedition and bringing an end to this campaign. Emperor Wen quickly appointed a magistrate for those conquered territories. He chose his brother-in-law Xuan Zian, Xuan Mei’s younger brother who was married to his older sister Yao Ki. The Emperor thus hoped to appease Xuan Mei’s ambitions by promoting his family in his stead. Hopefully it would work, as he would find himself with his hands full now that Xu Chu was making his way back to Chang’an. And all the Emperor could think about is if a satisfied Xu Chu was more dangerous than an angry one…

 

[Bibliophile]

Xu Shu’s loyalty was rewarded with being assassinated by the emperor he pledged his loyalty to. This, combined with Emperor Wen’s various other failings and the deaths surrounding his dynasty, does not fill me with confidence in the stability of Liang’s regime. It feels like it can’t survive or avoid falling into the same death spiral as the Han without Yao Shuren/ Emperor Anwu’s leadership.

also, Khan Budugen is dead. It’s hard to believe a character who had been such a looming presence in the background is finally dead. His heir hating the Chinese is a cause for concern though.

 

[Zamarak500]

227-228: THE LAST WARLORD OF CHINA​

Emperor Wu had not been on the throne for a year that he was already launching a campaign to expand the Chen Dynasty. In his defense, options for expansion were quickly running out. Most of the remaining barbarians to his south had been made tributaries of the Chen during his father’s reign. Meanwhile, a Chinese chieftain acting as a puppet of Budugen ruled a small territory on the most northern border of the dynasty, and there was no way Emperor Wu was going to push his father-in-law in an alliance with the Liang Dynasty. And obviously, he was not ready to go to war with the Liang. This left him with only one target: Dong Commandery.

Dong Commandery was currently controlled by the Cao Army. Nominally led by Cao Mang, the boy’s authority was currently in the hands of Cao Cao’s generals, trying to uphold the efforts of their late master. Having seen most of their former territories disappear into the Liang Dynasty, they had spent the last few years trying to solidify their position as other warlords were absorbed by the Chen or the Liang. When Emperor Wen of Liang launched a campaign against Wang Ji, they had no choice but to come to their subject’s rescue if they wanted to continue throwing their weight around. This presented the perfect opportunity for Emperor Wu to attack the Cao Army and seize Dong Commandery, a prize that had escaped his father years ago.

Generals were ordered to assemble on the border with Dong Commandery, Emperor Wu planning to join them as soon as the whole Chen military was ready. However, this failed to account for the fact that the Cao army was already assembled, being on its way back from their recent showdown with the Grand Commandant of the Liang Dynasty, Xu Chu. Because of this, Xiahou Yuan, the main officer of the Cao Army, ordered a fast march back toward the Chen Dynasty. Before the imperial troops could be ready and assembled, the forces of the Cao Army were penetrating into Chen territories and taking the initiative. Just as Emperor Anwu five years ago, Emperor Wu was finding himself outwitted by the Cao Army.

As had become a tradition by now, the one-eyed general Ding Zhiguo found himself the one in charge of the first battle of this war, having been ambushed by the enemy while unprepared. Once again, he had the general Chen Gongwei by his side to assist him in this first engagement of this new conflict. And just as had happened the last time these two had been together, they would be utterly defeated by their enemies. The Cao generals were quick to take advantage of their situation, showing up with far more troops than what Ding Zhiguo currently had at his disposal. In the ensuing battle that took place in late June, Xiahou Yuan was easily able to defeat the Chen commanders. As had happened the last time they worked together, Chen Gongwei was able to flee the defeat, Ding Zhiguo was not. He would once again spend the rest of the war in a jail cell.

This surprising offensive on the part of the Cao Army took the court in Chenguo by surprise. Emperor Wu immediately asked for advise from his councilors. Hu Zan simply believed that they could win this if they went on the offensive right now and regained the initiative, while Xiao Bin believed that they needed to wait before making any rash action. In the end, after hours of deliberation, Emperor Wu settled on a plan to regain control of the war. He would leave Chenguo and go take immediate command of the operations. In the meantime, the Chancellor and the Grand Commandant would stay in Chenguo, administrating the empire and preparing the defense should things go wrong.

Xiao Bin had showed to be an excellent statesman and Hu Zan had always been a competent man not limited to the military sphere. On paper, it seemed a great idea to leave them in charge. There was just one small issue though: the two men despised each other. And this was not something new either. During one of Hu Zan’s many stints on Emperor Cheng’s council, he and Xiao Bin worked on some propaganda, during which they proved to be arrogant and unwilling to cooperate. Thankfully, this did not blow up in the sort of feuds that could be found in the Liang imperial court, in part due to Emperor Wu acting as a mediator between his favorite brother and his befriended mentor. But in his absence, their strong personalities, ambitions to be the one who got the Emperor’s ear above everyone else and their diverging views on the right path for the Chen Dynasty made things difficult in the Capital.

Emperor Wu was not here to tamper their rivalry this time though. Instead, the Son of Heaven was on his way to one of the Chen armies that was assembling, making sure that he could be part of the largest one. Awaiting him was the general Ba Daiping, one of the best commanders at the Emperor’s disposal. He was also the man that Emperor Wu had removed as Grand Commandant to make room for Hu Zan, which Ba Daiping still felt bitter about. Even if it seemed obvious to insiders that Hu Zan would never be challenged in his position due to his keen friendship with the Emperor, Ba Daiping still hoped to use this war to prove that he was the one deserving of the office of Grand Commandant. He even tried to convince the Emperor that should he perform well he should receive the office as a reward, but Emperor Wu remained noncommittal, trying his best not to hurt the general’s feelings.

Meanwhile, Cheng Gongwei had managed to bring his retreating army back to safety, after which he linked with two older and far more experienced generals: He Jintao and Chen Tiao. The former was experiencing something of a career renaissance under Emperor Wu after he found himself shut out by Emperor Cheng due to his close links with the Tao Clan. As for Chen Tiao, he was simply happy to serve a good emperor this time, one that respected his officials and didn’t throw them out at the first opportunity.

Chen Gongwei was able to tell them of the most recent position of the Cao forces, which were still commanded by Xiahou Yuan. Deciding that something had to be done to stop this surprising invasion, Chen Tiao and He Jintao agreed that their best move would be to confront the Cao general on the battlefield, which is exactly what they did in September. But Xiahou Yuan still proved the better commander, showing once again that Cao Cao wasn’t the only amazing talent of the Cao Army. The Chen army lost more than a fourth of its troops, despite being twice as large as the Cao force. Only one positive came out of this battle: Xiahou Yuan was among the Cao casualties. At least the Cao Army had lost their golden boy.

Soon after, the court in Chenguo was made aware of the death of Budugen the Great and the election of his son Xibaxiong as the new Khagan of the Xianbei Confederacy. The entire officialdom agreed that gifts had to be sent to congratulate the Emperor’s brother-in-law and establish good relations with the new khagan. Only the Empress opposed this path, though she did not dare stand up to the entire court on this issue. She knew her younger brother. Last time they had met was when she was sent off to marry Xiao Tung, and at the time his goodbyes were “So you are on your way to be sullied?” These are not the words of a man who sought peace with the south. If anything, they should prepare and hope that the Liang Dynasty prove a more attractive target. But no one listened, instead sending a fruitless embassy to Xibaxiong.

It seemed that the Empress was not the only one worried about the ascension of Xibaxiong. Peasants who lived on the most northern point of the Chen Dynasty started to panic when they learned that the Chinese hating barbarian was in charge of the Xianbei Confederacy. Having already revolted once due to their fear of Budugen, they once again rose against the Chen government, panicking and demanding more protection from the Emperor. Now, requesting help was one thing. But revolts could not be tolerated, even if the people only wanted to be saved. And when some rebels started to argue that Emperor Wu really needed to put his barbarian wife to death, then this became a personal insult for the Son of Heaven.

But while he wanted to be the one to crush those rebels, he was convinced by his officers that this was too insignificant for him to handle. His focus should be on besieging Dong Commandery, which they had started to done now that the death of Xiahou Yuan had left the Cao generals uncertain on how to proceed. So instead, the Emperor dispatched two members of the former Liu Imperial Clan: Liu Derun and Liu Bojing. Liu Derun had the distinction of being the first scion of the Han to surrender his titles in loyalty to the new Chen Dynasty. He was brave, kind, hardworking and likeable. In many ways, he was the sort of men Emperor Wu sought to promote. Liu Bojing was in the opposite situation. Under Emperor Cheng, he had managed to catch the late emperor’s attention, to the point that he was even made the Marquis of XIacai. Paranoid about losing his current status, the general was now trying his best to stay relevant in a quickly changing empire, which was harder to do than he had hoped.

The Cao Army eventually regained some focus under the command of Cao Ren, the distant cousin of Cao Cao. However, Cao Ren decided that the only path froward was… well, forward. Instead of going back to Dong Commandery to defend the territories of Cao Mang (which were currently being attacked by Emperor Wu), he chose to continue to take territories from the Chen Dynasty. Not exactly a great tactic, as it left the Emperor free to take Dong Commandery without much resistance. Well, mostly free, as he still needed to remove this army that was attacking his dynasty. After all, he couldn’t allow Cao Ren to march all the way to Chenguo. And by the early months of 228, the Cao general was starting to get dangerously close.

To Ba Daiping’s frustration, Emperor Wu called upon his Grand Commandant Hu Zan to come join them and help him figure a way out of this problem. Hu Zan, arrogantly and skillfully playing his cards, convinced the Emperor that the best strategy was to join with the rest of the Chen troops and destroy Cao Ren. They should even include the army coming back from the north, having crushed the peasant uprising quite easily. With such a large army, they would surely be able to devise a strategy that would allow them to neutralize Cao Ren and his forces. But just to be safe, a detachment under Chen Tiao would be sent to the seat of power of the Cao Army in order to force them to surrender. Ba Daiping was angry at the way Hu Zan was taking over the campaign, so he insisted that he be the one to lead the assault against Cao Ren. Hu Zan begrudgingly agreed to this demand at the insistence of Emperor Wu, still trying to bring everyone together.

Cao Ren was easily defeated by the army led by Ba Daiping, Emperor Wu and Hu Zan in a battle that took place in June 228. Cao Ren was forced to retreat following this humiliating defeat, but by then his army was disintegrating. In August, the seat of the Cao Army finally fell to the Chen troops. Most of the local magistrates, unaware that Cao Mang had been saved and brought to the safety of Cao Ren’s army camp, surrendered to the Chen and recognize Emperor Wu as their rightful monarch. Seeing that the annexation by the Chen Dynasty was now inevitable, most soldiers deserted and returned to their home. What remained of Cao loyalists fled with Cao Ren and Cao Mang. The Cao Army would survive, but from now on it would be an insignificant bandit force, being more of a hastle for local officials than a threat for the two dynasties. With this, Emperor Wu proudly annexed Dong Commandery, conquering the last remaining warlord in China.

The former Cao subordinates proved quick to adapt to the new regime. They were all happy to advise the new Administrator of Dong Commandery, Ban Xuanling, who in turn rewarded them with key positions among his advisors. Other made friends with the Chen officers, clearly preparing themselves for a career in the imperial military. This included the ambitious Xue Tang, who was 30 at the time. He caught the attention of the old Hu Zan, who quickly asked him if he wanted a spot on his staff. Seeing an opportunity, Xue Tang kindly accepted the offer. He would prove the perfect kind of subordinate for Hu Zan. While ambitious, he was always too shy to take the center stage, allowing Hu Zan to chew the scenery.

But all was not well within the Chen Dynasty. Ba Daiping had been hoping that this campaign would mark his return to the office of Grand Commandant. Yet Hu Zan still held it, leaving him to brood in the corner. He had done something and now expected a reward. After all, was this not how the Chen Dynasty had always operated? But now the offices were kept in the hands of a few officials who were part of Emperor Wu’s inner circle. With his previous attempts ending in complete failure, Ba Daiping decided to take more drastic measures. And being a military man first and foremost, this meant warfare. In September 228, only a month after the conquest of Dong Commandery, Ba Daiping rose in revolt against the Chen Dynasty.

Sadly for Emperor Wu, Ba Daiping was tapping into a real sour spot of resentment with his revolt, leading some officials to join in with the disgruntled general. Ren Duo, who had been THE power at court during the late reign of Emperor Cheng, had been summarily dismissed from court and now languished as a provincial official. He saw in the revolt of Ba Daiping an opportunity to regain this lost power, quickly adding his political network to the rebellion. But the biggest betrayal of them all was the presence of the Prince of Lu among the rebels. Xiao Dang had not forgiven his brother from kicking him out as Excellency of Works. When Emperor Wu accepted Luo An’s resignation, the prince held hope that he would be recalled. Instead, the position went to Ding Gongsi, and now Xiao Dang saw no other option but to join in with the rebels.

Two other administrators joined in this little uprising. First was Zhao Boqing, another former follower of Tan Shenquan. Having always been paranoid that the Xiao Imperial Clan would punish him for his link with the traitor, he finally decided to edge his bets with the rebels. Hopefully he would come out of this not only alive, but from a position of strength. And then there was Yi Shing, once again back at it with his plan. He joined the rebels to get more power, yes, but also because it had actually been the next step of his plan all along. Yes, his good old plan to teach Emperor Cheng to be a more respectful emperor (a plan that by now had some glaring flaws that he somehow kept ignoring). And with this, Ba Daiping was able to mass a formidable fighting force, one that might present a great threat to the Chen Dynasty.

 

[HistoryDude]

Both Chinese Dynasties seem to be having internal trouble. I wonder which will collapse first?

 

[Bibliophile]

Again!? Seriously!? I thought with Xiao Ru’s death we had seen the end to this nonsense. I’d comment on the fall of the Cao Army, but I’m just incredibly annoyed. Can’t you lot just be content that Xiao Ru isn’t around to run the dynasty into the ground anymore!?