The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Midnite Duke]

That went even worse than I expected. Truce timers with bro-law and Liang are life savers. That you for the update.

 

[Zamarak500]

233: LAST STAND​

Emperor Wu’s campaign had been a complete disaster. Thousands had died in his attempt to retake the lands conquered by the Xianbei, only for him to come back without any result to show for it. The Chen military was decimated and the coffers had suffered a massive blow due to the payment he had to send to Xibaxiong to secure peace. The Dynasty had suffered a great blow, and his ego had been the only cause of this. Had he not tried to reclaim those territories immediately after loosing them, there would have been no difference. No, it would have been better. He had been impatient, he had been arrogant, and he had been wrong. It reminded him of his father, a dark thought that he quickly chased from his mind. He now understood that he needed to be patient, and more importantly, he needed to listen to his advisors far more to ensure that this sort of event did not happen again.

Of course, this was going to be difficult when one of his main advisors was absent from court. Hu Zan had been captured in February by Xibaxiong, and there had been no news from him since. In the meantime, his lands and titles were managed by his two remaining adult sons, as Emperor Wu’s son-in-law Hu Weizhi had sadly died in 228 from and infected wound. The oldest of the two was Hu Jingxuan. The 32 years old man was well known from court, having passed the Imperial Exam with bravo and proving to be hardworking and sociable. He was also courageous, well built and seemed to wish to follow his father’s career in the military. Hu Zan had certainly approved of this, and had been indicating that he wished for Hu Ah to inherit his Marquisate and other honors upon his death instead of his grandsons from his first son, the unfilial Hu Da.

But Hu Jingxuan was not the one being officially in charge of his father’s regency. That honor went to Hu Zan’s fourth son, Hu Ah. Everyone could agree that of all the old general’s children, Hu Ah was the most gifted. He was the one to inherit his father’s intelligence. He was an extremely well learned man, who understood court politics and imperial affairs with ease. Had Hu Ah had any great ambitions, he might have proven quite the challenge for Xiao Bin, and it would not be hard to imagine him one day becoming Chancellor of the Chen. But Hu Ah would refuse such appointment. He was paranoid of offers of the sort, which is why he never did the Imperial Exams like his brother. Instead, he cynically commented on the affairs at court, which never impressed him much. And then there was the reason why Hu Zan had never made him his heir: he hated warfare and was afraid of the battlefield. Hu Zan simply couldn’t accept an heir that wasn’t a military officer like he was. Well… that and Hu Ah’s mental problems, having violent outbursts had random times that made it hard to deal with him on a regular basis.

The brothers were quickly contacted by the Chancellor Xiao Bin, which was strange considering the well-known animosity between their father and the Chancellor. The prince suggested that maybe it was better for their father… not to return. Surely, these funds could be put to better use elsewhere. And if Hu Zan was never to return, there would surely be ample opportunities for promotions for the Hu brothers, with Xiao Bin hinting that a few commanderies might find themselves available for them if this happened. And surely the Emperor would reward his mentor’s sons with titles of nobility. Hu Jingxuan was infuriated at this idea and told the Chancellor to forget it. Meanwhile, Hu Ah responded to Xiao Bin that all he needed to do now was convinced their younger brother Hu Du to betray his father. It shouldn’t be hard, considering that Hu Du had been born on the exact day that their father was captured and so had never met him. Xiao Bin realized his error in trying to convince Hu Zan’s sons and backed off. Hu Jingxuan and Hu Ah used their father’s massive wealth to pay a ransom for him, and Hu Zan was back at court by the last days of April 233.

Following the second defeat against the Xianbei, there was a clear anti-barbarian sentiment emerging among the officialdom. Even if Emperor Wu was a tolerant man who did not hold any personal disdain for foreigner, he found himself pressured to “free” his court from foreign influence. This was most notably exemplified by the exile of the Buddhist barbarian from the West who had served as Excellency of the Masses since Emperor Wu took the throne. He was replaced by the far less competent, but far more Chinese Bei Mea. It was the second time that Bei Mea found himself replacing a far better man, having previously replaced the late Luo An as Excellency of Works during the reign of Emperor Cheng.

But there was one person that Emperor Wu refused to depart from, and that was Empress Tanshihuai. Her presence was easily the most offensive to the Chinese courtiers, considering that it was her brother that had been destroying the Chen Dynasty. This was made even worse by the fact that Xibaxiong had taken the habit of always writing to his sister instead of the Chen court or the Emperor as a clear slight against his brother-in-law. This made it look like the Empress was conspiring with her brother, with Xiao Bin eventually ordering the Empress’s private letters opened and read before they were given to her.

This invasion of privacy was deeply hurtful for the Empress, though it was nothing compared to the fact that her husband now had Chinese concubines he spent times with (though one was funnily enough the daughter of a Sinicized barbarian). Even so, Emperor Wu continued to show his public support for his wife. After a series of harsh petition requesting that he dispose of his empress, Emperor Wu stood up and angrily asked his court who would be the Crown Prince then? Clearly it wouldn’t do to keep the son of a deposed empress as the heir. It would be unfitting. This killed the discussion in an instant. The fact was that the three princes (Xiao Gong, Xiao Dan and Xiao Zenguang) were all born of Changle, so any other candidate than these three might be interpreted as treason.

Still, it wasn’t like the three princes were great options either. Xiao Gong, for all his efforts to follow in his father’s footsteps, had proven unimpressive and somewhat disappointing. While he remained Crown Prince by virtue of being the eldest and already having a son of his own, Emperor Wu sometimes worried that his son was not ready for the job, even as he had spent the last seven years gaining experience as a magistrate away from court. The fact that Emperor Wu had yet to recall the Crown Prince said a lot about the Son of Heaven’s belief in the young man’s abilities. Though in Xiao Gong’s defense, some of the terrible reports that were coming from his county were not his fault, but that of his wife Crown Princess Ding. The young woman was ambitious, greedy and wanted the easy life that should come with her position. And if she was this bad now, one could only wonder what damage she would do once she was empress.

But Xiao Gong’s brothers weren’t any better. The second son Xiao Dan had started somewhat promisingly, a decent student who took care of his appearance and had a keen sense of justice. However, he was the son who resembled his mother the most, which came with a lot of prejudice at court. Even worse, he developed clear mental problems in his teens, similar to what his uncle Xiao Cang was suffering from in his exile. Some argued that this madness came from his barbarian blood, but this was more likely due to a predisposition to mental illness within the Xiao Clan. This left only Xiao Zenguang, the youngest of the three. At fifteen, he was a hardworking and honest young man who was well liked at court and studious. If there was any potential replacement for Xiao Gong, it was Xiao Zenguang. But then the younger prince would start suffering from leprosy in his early adult years, which shut the door on his potential succession. After all, nobody wanted a lepper emperor.

These were all things that Emperor Wu had to take into account to rebuild his dynasty. But other problems would make these worries insignificant. One of the reasons he had launched his campaign was because he was afraid of what would happen with the Chen Dynasty split in two, fearful of the dangers this represented. Sadly, he would quickly be proven right. Bohai Commandery now stood apart from the rest of the Dynasty, just as its administrator Yuan Rei was coming of age. Now old enough to rule himself, he quickly dispensed of the regents he previously had an surrounded himself with new officials. And these officials convinced him that he needed to show how essential he was to the Chen Dynasty by expanding it. If he did that, then Emperor Wu would see that Yuan Rei was just the man that the Chen needed to recover from its current low point.

And Yuan Rei had the perfect target in mind. On the most northern border of the Chen (and thus of Bohai Commandery) was not the Liang Dynasty, but a small chieftain named Jiang Bofang. His father Jiang Qinming had adopted the Tengri faith and declared himself a High Chief instead of an Administrator in order to endear himself to Budugen the Great, to who he was paying tributes. Jiang Qinming died in 230, and his son now ruled his little domain of Youbeiping. Eliminating Jiang Bofang would expand the Chen Dynasty north and be a boon for the Chen. Yuan Rei thus used his freedom from Chenguo thanks to the division of the Chen to declare war on Jiang Bofang in May.

But what Yuan Rei seemed to miss was the close relationship between Jiang Bofang and the Xianbei Confederacy. The panicked High Chief quickly sent envoys to Xibaxiong, pleading the Khagan for his help against the invading Chinese. The Despoiler then turned around with a smile and declare that this brazen attack from Yuan Rei was a breach of the peace that had only recently been negotiated with the Chen, thus rendering it null and void. And what overlord would Xibaxiong be if he didn’t respond? So only two months after peace had been agreed, the Despoiler decided to attack the Chen Dynasty out of retaliation for the actions of Yuan Rei, even though Emperor Wu had nothing to do with this. And this time, Xibaxiong didn’t seek lands or a single payment for the peace. No, he planned to make the Chen Dynasty a permanent tributary, subordinate to his authority.

While the Grand Commandant Ba Daiping had worked hard to rebuild the military (until he was replaced by a returning Hu Zan as Emperor Wu had said he would), the Chen was nowhere near ready to fight. Changle was especially afraid for her husband, and advised him to accept the position of tributary for now. But the Emperor was completely opposed to the idea. The Xiao Imperial Clan was far too prideful to agree to submit to the Xianbei’s authority, and the generals like Ba Daiping refused to bow down to the Despoiler without a fight. They might lose. They would probably lose. But they were going to try their hardest to win this. Changle, seeing the overwhelming opposition to her idea from her husband and the courtiers, quickly backtracked and excused herself.

Of course, Hu Zan would be in charge of this campaign. The Grand Commandant also had Ba Daiping by his side, to command the center during the incoming struggle with the Xianbei horde. While the two men didn’t get along and were rival for the position of Grand Commandant, the fact was that they worked well together. And besides, who else could Hu Zan count upon to command the center of his army? Ba Daiping was the best offensive general at the Chen Dynasty’s disposal, and there was no one else Hu Zan could count on to challenge the Xianbei in drive and determination.

With them was a new face among the officer corps, though he had an extensive military career to make up for it. The 65 years old Xue Fang had recently been promoted as one of the top generals of the Chen Dynasty. The father of Xue Tang, Hu Zan’s protégé, Xue Fang had served many masters over his long career, most notably Cao Cao and the Cao Army. When Dong Commandery was conquered by the Chen, he quickly pledged his loyalty to the Dynasty. Ever since, he had been in charge of border defense, thus never participating in the major battles that had rocked the Chen Dynasty over the last five years. But with his son now being noticed by the Emperor, Xue Fang’s career immediately rose as well. His loyalty, sense of honor and humility endeared him to the Emperor, though Hu Zan was slightly worried about the old man’s ambitious nature. Still, this was one great general that the Chen now had at its disposal, and Hu Zan was not going to miss an opportunity to use him.

By the end of the summer, Hu Zan had been able to put together a respectable army of 10,000 men. Nothing to laugh at in normal circumstances. Yet against the massive forces of Xibaxiong, it was a laughable number. But Hu Zan had one advantage this time. He hadn’t spent his imprisonment idly waiting for his release. He had kept an eye open, no matter the bad treatment he had received at the hand of his captors. Sometimes, he forced himself to avoid sleep in order to look at the troops. He remembered their numbers, their composition, their formations. The Chen might not have the numbers, but at least he could guarantee that the Xianbei would be unable to pull any surprise in the incoming confrontation.

In October, Hu Zan and the Chen army were finally faced with the enemy. But to their surprise, it was not the whole horde, but a smaller vanguard, one actually smaller than what the Chen military had fielded to stop it. Hu Zan quickly put his strategy in place, forcing the Xianbei horsemen to fight in a town that had been evacuated beforehand. Horsemen found it far more difficult to navigate with the abandoned carts and fruit stands still in the street, while the Chen soldiers used these as defensive positions to strike down their enemies. Xibaxiong, who was commanding this vanguard, quickly pulled out of the city, only for Ba Daiping to fall upon his troops and force the Xianbei in a pincer.

Hu Zan knew where the tributary allies in the vanguard had to be situated, which is why he sent the Chen calvary against these instead of wasting them in a fight against the northern horsemen. It was effective in routing the infantry that supported the main horsemen army. Xibaxiong, frustrated by the situation, eventually pushed for a massive charge against Xue Fang. And while Xue Fang held firm and dealt great damages to the enemy, he was eventually force to break formation and allow the Xianbei army to retreat. But it didn’t matter. Hu Zan had delivered the first victory against Xibaxiong since the Khagan had fought against Chen troops for the first time in 231. For once, the Chen had pushed back the invaders, with Xibaxiong confused and shocked at this turn of events. And as the soldiers cheered, the old general had a large smile plastered on his face.

____________________________________

“Is this real?” he asked the messenger.

“His Imperial Majesty sent me as soon as it was agreed.” the man answered.

Xue Tang was still in armor, having just come back from reviewing the troops. While it had been two weeks since their incredible victory against the Xianbeis, that didn’t mean that they had the right to laze off. Grand Commandant Hu Zan had ordered that the troops still needed to be kept in fighting orders for the eventual return of the enemy.

But the letter he had in his hand, if true, could change all that. Hu Zan needed to be told about this as fast as possible. And obviously, he needed to be the one to tell him. After all, who better than his protégé? And the prestige that would come with bringing this news. He just needed to convince the messenger to let him keep the letter…

“Thank you…” Xue Tang said. “May… Maybe I could be of some help?”

“It’s alright.” The messenger answered. “I just need to give this letter to the Grand Commandant.”

“I-I can do this for you…” the general meekly offered. “I mean, I can give it for you!”

“As long as it is delivered.” the messenger shrugged.

Xue Tang took this as a yes and immediately started to make his way to the main command tent, where he knew that the rest of the officers were assembled. As he made his way there, he noticed how the soldiers were joyful in camp. Morale was high ever since their victory, and it was all thanks to the Grand Commandant. Hu Zan had done the impossible and defeated the invincible. And the soldiers loved him for it and celebrated his name. Still, hopefully they didn’t sign too loudly, as the generals might decide that military discipline was too lax among the troops.

He quickly entered the tent, where most of the generals were talking strategy and logistic. At the end opposite to the entrance stood a low table, which was placed right in front of a seated Hu Zan, who rested on cushions. He looked to be lacking his usual energy today, with his eyes half closed and his tired face. This was understandable. The Grand Commandant had been pulling all-nighters in preparation of the next battle, leaving him stressed and weakened. He was so out of it that he didn’t even notice Xue Tang entering the tent.

“Marquis!” Xue Tang shouted.

He immediately regretted his decision as all eyes turn to him. The healthy discussions quickly died down with the new arrival in the tent. Hu Zan seemed to finally realize his presence, though he only looked up slowly and gave a simple grunt as acknowledgement.

“What is it, Tang?” his father Xue Fang asked.

“A letter from Chenguo just arrived and…”

“Give me that!” demanded Ba Daiping as he seized the scroll from Xue Tang’s hands.

The general had not even finished his sentence that the document was already in his hands, denying Xue Tang the opportunity to hand it to his mentor. While Ba Daiping was not as arrogant as other officers that Xue Tang had been accustomed too, the fact that he often acted as he pleased didn’t endear him to the younger general. But now that the document was in his hands, Xue Tang didn’t have it in him to fight for the letter. Starting a fight with such an influential general would do little to help his career. His father wasn’t a shy as his son, however, and he quickly stepped to Ba Daiping with a menacing look on his face.

“Would General Ba share the content of this letter addressed for the Grand Commandant?” Xue Fang pointed out, adding the last part to spite his colleague.

It didn’t seem to have any effect, as Ba Daiping had a massive grin plastered on his face that didn’t seem ready to disappear anytime soon.

“The Xianbeis are out.” he joyfully declared.

“What?” Xue Fang asked in shock.

Murmured started in the tent, with the Grand Commandant being the only one not looking at everyone else in the hope that someone had an idea what this meant. He simply stood seated, awaiting the rest of the letter.

“His Imperial Majesty just finished talks with Xianbei envoys.” Ba Daiping continued. “It seems that the Khagan has some problems back home after spending the last years in Qing Province away from the steppes. He is calling it quit and asked for an end to hostilities. It’s over. We won!”

Surprise made ways to cheers as they all took in the meaning of these words. Their recent victory had been THE victory. They had successfully driven out the invasion, they had triumphed over the enemy. While it was more a white peace than a complete triumph, it was still held as a great moment by the generals. Even Xue Tang, who already knew the content of the letter, couldn’t stop himself from cheering with them. Even the Grand Commandant allowed himself a weak smile. This was a significant moment, even more than any of them could expect at the time. Unlike the previous peace deals, this one would hold for years to come, marking the end of the last four years of deadly conflicts between the Chen Dynasty and the Xianbei Confederacy.

“We sent the Despoiler packing back home!” someone shouted.

“He should grab his sister with him while he’s at it!” another man added, which was followed by laughers from the officer corps.

“Leave the empress alone…” Hu Zan told them, clearly not finding the joke funny.

“Grand Commandant,” his father started, “they were simply joking. I dare not think that one of us is stupid enough to talk against the Empress, especially considering how his Imperial Highness feels about this subject.”

“Good...” was Hu Zan’s sole response as he closed his eyes to rest.

“Someone needs to tell the troops.” Ba Daiping decided. “They will want to celebrate too.”

“We already have difficulties with discipline in the camp.” Xue Fang protested.

“What do you expect, considering the circumstances?”

“Xue Tang…” Hu Zan whispered.

“Yes Marquis?” he responded.

“I leave the rest… to you…”

Xue Tang was confused at this request until his eyes fell on the massive pile of scrolls that were covering the table.

“The paperwork? I… of course Marquis, I can handle this for today. It will be my pleasure.” Xue Tang responded.

“Now hold on a minute.” Ba Daiping protested, having clearly heard the exchange. “There is a hierarchy here. If Hu Zan wants help with his duties, then he should ask for the older officers like me and General Xue.”

“I do not see the harm.” Xue Fang responded.

“Of course you don’t. It’s your son he wants to do it!” Ba Daiping protested.

“Now that is absurd! My son has proven to be competent and able to handle these duties! Grand Commandant, surely you can agree that…” Xue Fang stopped as his eyes turned to Hu Zan, still seated with his eyes closed, a smile on his face.

“Marquis?”

_______________________________________________

PS: Thank you to @patpekala for giving us the amazing character of Hu Zan (172-233), the ambitious general, great hero of the Chen, mentor of Emperor Wu and the last character to die (though again, he had the advantage of being one of the youngest).

What I find fascinating with Hu Zan is the way his life can be neatly divided in two. The first period (190-209) saw him as a young and arrogant general who aimed high, possibly too high. He clearly wanted to become a powerful warlord and one of the great powers of his time. His ambitious and youthful pride led him to betray a lot of his masters, like Kong Rong and Yang Weili. And then you have the second part of his life (210-233), the part where he served in the Chen. While still ambitious, his drive had shifted from being the one in charge to being the greatest general in the Chen. The Hu Zan under the Chen had clearly matured and learned from his previous experiences. A young Hu Zan would have rebelled the second Xiao Ru removed him from his council, yet he instead simply waited for another opportunity to get back in power. Even when he didn’t get the job he wanted, instead of complaining he used this as an opportunity to advance. And more importantly, the older Hu Zan was smart enough to cultivate the next generation, be it Emperor Wu or Xue Tang. And in the end, he died only a few weeks after achieving what was possibly the greatest victory of his career. In many ways, this was a happy ending for him. Not the one he would have wanted earlier in life, but certainly one that left him satisfied at the end.

And this also closes the book on the 10 main characters we introduced at the start of the story. They all left their mark on China, with their actions often shifting the story in ways that would affect it forever. So what did you think of them? Did you have a favorite? Who was the best, the worse, the most successful? It’s a good time to reminisce about their lives, as from now on the story will move without them, a new generation having taken center stage.

 

[patpekala]

Oh my gawd, Hu Zan. A man who I thought would have betrayed anyone at any second and kept the Chen Dynasty..... in less trouble than the trouble it already has almost every year. Quite a banger in the end. Almost like a dream.

I didn't quite realize he left that big a family, wow he was busy.

Dam, that means all 10 of the original are gone now. So much time passed.

I must thank the author for all the effort and and love he put into this and making Hu Zan a great character to read. One with flaws (that really should have gotten him killed earlier on) and strengths (thats probably the reason he is still alive despite those flaws). Thank you @Zamarak500 !

 

[Bibliophile]

Farewell to Hu Zan. It feels somewhat comforting to know that of the ten main characters, the last one to leave us did so at peace and with a smile on his face. I can’t remember any of the others being so at peace with their death.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the ten. It has been amazing watching them live their lives, up to their inevitable deaths. My favorite would have to be Mo Jie, simply for being one of the few characters who managed to live his life with his moral compass intact (discounting those who had no interest in morals to begin with). Plus his incomprehensibility made for some excellent comic relief. My least favorite (who I still ended up liking in spite of everything) was Xiao Ru, for reasons I have explained before. Though I will give him some credit. Sure he basically treated his vassals like idiots….but considering one of the Chen’s vassals, the moment he was out from the Chen’s gaze, pulled the nation into a third war with the Xianbei Confederacy, I suspect that, besides for a select few of them, the late Xiao Ru was right to think that of them (especially given how many other stupid things Chen vassals were responsible for).

 

[Midnite Duke]

Hu Zan, a life well-lived, go and reap your rewards. The Chen dynasty has more lives than a litter of kittens. Thank you for updating.

 

[Ixarys]

I don’t like this chapter’s title...

Well we lost Chen’s miracle maker. I wonder if the Chen dynasty will be able to make it without him.

 

[HistoryDude]

I liked Xuan Su, honestly. I'm probably biased, though.

Emperor Wu realized his mistakes and managed to correct them, and the Xianbei lost to the Chen! I wonder what the Liang think of all this?

 

[streaker77]

Finally caught back up! Great writing as always, the Chen chapters in particular were a whirlwind to read, one minute they are defeating the Liang (was not expecting that), then they are anihalated by a massive horde that must have been nightmare fuel for the Chen commanders, the ill fated decision to counterattack, and forcing a white peace in a war, had it been lost, would likely have all but sealed the destruction of the Chen and any claim to the mandate of heavan. Early on I was wondering if the Liang would try and take advantage of the Chens weakness, but they have their own problems with the civil war. Emperor Wu has his flaws and his share of mistakes, but he has been through the crucible in a way that Emperor Wen of the Liang has not and I doubt would even be able to.

 

[Zamarak500]

232-234: THE RISE OF EMPEROR ZHAO YUN​

To the surprise of everyone who wasn’t paying attention (which was everyone in Chang’an apparently), Zhao Yun had risen in revolt against the Liang Dynasty. Even worse, his goal was not independence or simply to gain more power or even to place the Crown Prince on the throne. No, this was not like the revolts that had been happening in the Chen Dynasty. This one was to end the Liang Dynasty in one swoop, to replace it with a new imperial dynasty headed by none other than Zhao Yun himself. Yes, he had less troops, but he was arguably the greatest general in China at the time. While there was still Ba Daiping and the soon to be dead Hu Zan, they were in the Chen Dynasty. Who could challenge Zhao Yun in the Liang? No one.

News of this revolt was a shock to Emperor Wen, who had somehow convinced himself that his potential threats against Zhao Yun had been enough to keep the governor in line. Yet now he was facing a massive revolt to destroy his Dynasty? Emperor Wen panicked. He was now seriously afraid for his life, knowing full well that Zhao Yun was one of the greatest generals of China. Maybe if he surrendered the throne to him, then Emperor Wen would be allowed to live? When he consulted his chancellor over the issue, Pan Zhiyuan gave his complete approval to the idea, as he had already been packing his bags to flee Chang’an in haste. Maybe they could even flee west? After all, there was this Aer Daxier forming his Kingdom of Sashan in the west, right? Surely life would be good in his court?

It was Empress Pan who put some sense into her husband (and her brother). There was no way they were going to abandon the Liang Dynasty. First and foremost, Chang’an was not exactly close to Ji Province, which was at the other side of Sili Province. This meant that they had ample time to organize against the enemy while staying safely behind the walls of the Capital. And even if they decided to flee, what then? Yao Xiu would simply declare himself the new emperor and continue the fight, something that Empress Pan would not allow. She was determined to carry the next emperor of the Dynasty, and she would be damned if her brother-in-law ever inherited the Liang. No, they would not run. They would stay, they would win, and she would one day give birth to a son that might reunite China (because clearly her husband wasn’t going to do it).

The Empress passionate rant managed to convince Emperor Wen and his chancellor not to flee… yet. For now, they instead sent orders that the Liang military readied itself to fight the evil rebel Zhao Yun. However, this proved to be a slow process. The Liang Dynasty was large, and the troops could only be pushed so fast before they got sick of orders. In the meantime, Zhao Yun already had the majority of his troops readied, thanks to the last months of preparation he had been given. It allowed the rebels to strike at small defenseless units of imperial troops during the following months. By August, a series of small victories had been achieved by the rebels. These were insignificant victories, but at the end of the days the imperial troops were told that they were going to fight an army that had defeated them six times already. Morale was not high within the ranks.

Even worse, barbarians decided to use this opportunity to rise up against the Liang government. For once, these were not northern barbarians, but southern barbarians, rising on the border between Yi and Jing Province. They had been somewhat spooked by the campaigns of Qin Qiao, and now feared that their rights might be oppressed by the new Governor of Yi Province, a young officer named Lin Fuxing. Being a fan of Pan Zheng’s writings, he wanted to put the savages back in their place. The problem was that he then left to take command of some troops against Zhao Yun, leaving his province leaderless when the barbarians decided that enough was enough. They rose up in early June with a large force, and now threatened to take the whole area in a bid for independence.

This certainly didn’t help the nerves of Emperor Wen, who was afraid that he might be assassinated by Zhao Yun in order to end the civil war quicker. He was now once again considering making a run for it, this time thinking about abdicating the throne to his brother. He had always wanted it right? Emperor Pan once again had to step in to reassure him. She enlisted the help of the Excellency of the Masses Lu Yu, who had grown extremely influential following the death of Mo Jie. He was quite happy to come to the help of the Emperor. His solution was to increase security to the point that access to the Emperor would be almost impossible. In many ways, he was trying to replicate the state of affairs in the Chen court during the late reign of Emperor Cheng, when Ren Duo had control over access to the monarch.

However, this was not as perfect as the Excellency of the Masses might have wished for. First of all was the presence of the Emperor’s nephew, the cruel Minister of the Guard Huang Dunli. Huang Dunli was a bit too happy about gaining more subordinate to brutalize people with. It was so bad that Lu Yu and most of the court would eventually have to convince Emperor Wen to send his nephew command troops on the frontline instead, as he was becoming a dangerous figure for the regime. But even then, Lu Yu quickly discovered that there existed a backdoor access to the Emperor’s ear. The Pan siblings could easily bring their own people to the Emperor, and Emperor Wen himself seemed keen to not be controlled like a sick old man. Trying to protect the Emperor and reduce access to him (as he was asked) while the Emperor went behind his back was stressful and depressing, far more than squaring of with Mo Jie over policies.

Talking of the Emperor’s backstabbing tendencies, the Grand Commandant found himself excluded of the planning for the incoming campaign. Qin Qiao was a celebrated hero of the Liang Dynasty, a man who had showed that he could lead troops and motivate his men to fight when it served him. But Emperor Wen was afraid that he would be unleashing a new Xu Chu should he allow the Grand Commandant to lead troops. He didn’t even summon Qin Qiao to the war councils, something that was noticed by the officers and soon learned by the troops. Knowing that the Dynasty’s greatest hero was being pushed aside in this hour of need was demoralizing. Thankfully, Qin Qiao didn’t take offense, as he was all too happy to see most of his workload be unloaded on someone else.

So if Qin Qiao wasn’t the one in charge of this campaign, then who was? Strangely enough, these duties fell on the former Chancellor Jin Xuan. The man had never gotten along with Emperor Wen, and in private had always preferred Crown Prince Xiu. Considering how his father had also backed the wrong heir when Guo Si died, this seemed to be running in the family. He had on multiple occasion showed anger at the Son of Heaven’s indecision and lack of leadership. Yet at the end of the day he was a loyal servant of the Liang, unwilling to see the legacy of Emperor Anwu die like this. And Emperor Wen had little choice but to turn to him, as he was probably the most experienced general remaining in the Liang military. Everyone else of experience had either died or been captured while fighting the Liang, was sick or had been pushed aside by the Emperor.

Around that time, Emperor Wen made an attempt to convince the rebels to put down their arms by showing how magnanimous he was. He did this by welcoming to his court the now adult Jiang Wenguan, son of the dead Chancellor Jiang Xian of the Han. Jiang Xian had been a hated figure during and after his life, making many enemies that might want to eliminate his family to remove a potential threat. Because of this, Jiang Wenguan had spent most of his life on the run, hiding from potential enemies. But with Emperor Anwu dead and the Liang Dynasty firmly implanted (it had been 13 years since its founding), Jiang Wenguan sent a letter to Chang’an pleading for a normal life. Emperor Wen happily granted it to him, and Jiang Wenguan would even be appointed a magistrate in the following months. Surely, this show of clemency would convince the rebels to put down their arms!

But Zhao Yun and his followers did not stand down. Even worse, a new peasant uprising rose up at the end of the year, this time on the east coast. This happened just as the southern barbarian revolt was being crushed by Huang Dunli, who had been tasked to handle the problem. This peasant uprising was spawned by the many failed reforms of the Liang Dynasty, which confused and then angered the populace. Whatever the reasoning, they were now wondering if things would not be better under the Chen, and now hoped to become independent to join up with the neighboring dynasty. Obviously, this could not be allowed, and an army had to be dispatched to deal with this situation.

By now it was 233, as no real fighting had taken place during 232 outside of the small skirmishes mentioned previously. Jin Xuan was finally able to ready a large enough army to march against Zhao Yun, but he decided to move the troops north to attack from You Province, which took months and allowed the rebel general to be noticed of this incoming army. Because of this, the first real battle of this civil war only took place in early January 233. The Liang soldiers were confident due to their numbers, confident enough that Jin Xuan tried to appeal one last time to the rebels and asked for their peaceful surrender. When this didn’t happen, Jin Xuan ordered an attack. But Zhao Yun was a far better commander than anyone the Liang had at its disposal. The likes of Lin Fuxin of Jin Xuan were no match for him. While he suffered just as many losses as the Liang army, Zhao Yun was able to emerge victorious of this battle, even though he had half the troops of the Liang army.

It was clear that someone didn’t learn from their mistakes following this defeat, as the Liang army engaged Zhao Yun two months later at the exact same spot. This time, it was the turn of the Liang officers to receive an envoy from Zhao Yun. He encouraged them to abandon the corrupt government of Emperor Wen, who had clearly lost the Mandate of Heaven and was unworthy of their respect. This angered Jin Xuan so much that he considered killing the envoy, but eventually decided against it. It would be of bad taste to kill the messenger. He instead sent back a letter to Zhao Yun, saying that, again, it was not too late to submit. This little exchange did nothing to avoid another battle, and so in late March the second Battle of Qiu took place. This one ended in the same way as the first one: a rebel victories with similar losses on both sides, even though Zhao Yun had the smaller army.

This didn’t seem to worry the court in Chang’an for some reason, as at the time they were celebrating a betrothal between the Yao Imperial Clan and the rising Pan Clan. Emperor Wen had decided to solidify his relationship with his brother-in-law, who was proving far more loyal than most of his predecessors (and the first Chancellor not to overstep his bounds). Thus it was decided (at the Empress’s behest) that a betrothal should take place. Princess Chuntao (the youngest child of Emperor Anwu), would marry Pan Shilang, the second son of Chancellor Pan Zhiyuan. The celebration was extravagant and opulent in an attempt to show the good health of the dynasty. See? Things were going fine in the Liang Dynasty. Nothing to worry about!

But things were not fine, especially as the coffers were so empty that the Chancellor was wondering how they were going to pay the soldiers. Or even the palace staff for that matter. So Emperor Wen did the opposite of what he had done the previous years: he forced the provinces to pay taxes. The kind of taxes that had been such a burden that they eventually led to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, or the Liang Rebellion that marked Mo Jie for his entire life. And predictably, some didn’t like these new taxes. In particular, Administrator Wei Yan of Wuling Commandery decided that he had enough. The protégé of Liu Siyuan had surrendered to Emperor Anwu when he seized the Han and had found himself relegated to his commandery with little influence. But with the Liang Dynasty possibly on the verge of collapse, Wei Yan had decided that it was time to seize the moment. He declared that he would not pay taxes to the Dynasty, essentially declaring his independence (though he still acknowledged Emperor Wen as the rightful Emperor of China).

And this was not even the worst of it. The Qinghaixi Khaganate of the west, which had long been a tributary of the Liang Dynasty, now decided to use this opportunity to stop paying tributes. Dianlian Khagan smelled blood in the water and was keen to exploit it. He stopped sending payments to Chang’an during the spring, and by the summer he was even sending his horsemen to raid Liang Province. With the Liang Dynasty occupied with the civil war, the duties of fighting these raiders fell on the Crown Prince Yao Xiu, who had to do his best to defend his province against this unexpected enemy. While e did a better job than anyone could give him credit for, there was only so much he could do. Towns were still pillaged and wealth was brought back to the west.

At least Yao Xiu had one good thing to celebrate. In June 233, the Crown Prince proudly announced that his wife Mo Xiaowen had given birth to a son, named Yao Hao. The boy was the long-awaited next generation that had kept many officials awake at night, fearful of what would happen if neither brother produced a son. Yao Hao was of a high pedigree. Through his father, he was obviously the grandson of the dynastic founder Emperor Anwu. But his mother’s side was nothing to sneer at either. Yao Hao was also the grandson of the celebrated official Mo Jie, and through Mo Jie’s wife was the great grandson of the famed Liang rebel Ma Teng. His birth was celebrated by everyone who was loyal to the Liang Dynasty. Well, everyone but Empress Pan, who feared that her husband might now me content to let the throne pass to his brother’s line instead of producing his own sons (which was indeed the case).

By the autumn it had become clear that Jin Xuan needed to be sack, at least to Emperor Wen and his inner circle. Even as he had successfully crushed the peasant uprising, his failures to handle Zhao Yun were seen as unacceptable. The experienced man was thus removed as the commander of this campaign. However, the replacement proved extremely controversial, as the choice of Huang Dunli was seen my many as blatant nepotism. Emperor Wen argued that his nephew’s success against the barbarian revolt warranted a promotion. Huang Dunli was made General who Protects the Empire and sent to command this campaign.

And to the satisfaction of Emperor Wen, Huang Dunli managed to do exactly what he was supposed to. The victories of Zhao Yun at Qiu had turned out to be pyrrhic victories. Both sides suffered the same number of losses, but while the Liang Dynasty had ample troops to spare, Zhao Yun found it difficult to replenish his ranks. And this time, Huang Dunli wisely decided not to risk anything. Zhao Yun had been able to defeat armies twice as large as his? Fine. Let us see how he handle an army fourteen times larger. The battle of Wuruanguan which took place in late December finally saw a great Liang victory against the enemy. The rebels were destroyed, and Zhao Yun was forced to retreat in his province in order to continue his revolt. Prisoners were tortured on the orders of Huang Dunli, who found it easier to sleep with “background sounds”.

Within two weeks of this victory, Emperor Wen decided that it was time to remove a great threat to his power: his Grand Commandant Qin Qiao. Even though the man had proven nothing but loyal (if a bit arrogant), Emperor Wen continued to see him as a Xu Chu in the making. On the 12th of January, the Emperor invited his Grand Commandant to a feast. But just as they toasted, guar… assassins disguised as guards entered the room to kill the Emperor! They proceeded to kill the Grand Commandant, salute the Emperor as protocol demanded and flee the scene. Thus died one of the greatest heroes of the Liang Dynasty at the young age of 37. He never really wanted to invade the south, yet he did it anyway. He never wanted to become Grand Commandant, yet he relented to the demands. And for this loyalty and dedication to the Dynasty, he was murdered by his emperor.

Emperor Wen then announced that the Grand Commandant had heroically given his life to protect him. Oh, what a hero! The issue was that half of the court was present at this banquet. And sadly for the Emperor, they were neither blind nor complete idiots. They knew what had happened, and soon enough it became known that Emperor Wen had the great hero Qin Qiao assassinated. This was a political scandal that threatened to resurrect the dying revolt of Zhao Yun. Suddenly, the Imperial Army saw massive amounts of defections to the rebel sides, the soldiers disgusted with the actions of the Emperor. When Qin Bolin was informed of his brother’s end, he was so disgusted that he abandoned his county and fled, defecting to the Chen Dynasty. This would be the first defection of the sort, but nowhere near the last.

But thankfully for Emperor Wen, this did nothing to help Zhao Yun. Because four days after the death of Qin Qiao, the rebel general died a natural death at the old age of 66. With his death, the rebels assembled around his oldest son Zhao Gongxiu, who now commanded a respectable force of defectors and newly raised rebels. While some of his followers advised him to continue the fight, he instead chose to negotiate while he was still in a position of power. In exchange of remaining Governor of Ji Province, Zhao Gongxiu was willing to submit back to the Liang Dynasty. Emperor Wen jumped on the chance and took the deal (though he immediately started to plot the assassination of Zhao Gongxiu). This ended the war in January 234, almost two years after it started. And it was a welcomed end, especially as Emperor Wen was currently dealing with a new civil war.

 

[HistoryDude]

Wow. The Liang are utterly collapsing. What were the Chen doing during all of this? What will the Chen do during the next revolt? This is a prime time to reunite China!

 

[Bibliophile]

…..I struggle to fully fathom just how fully Emperor Wen is mucking everything up. It boggles the mind. That farce of an assassination….the fact that Emperor Wen thought he was fooling anyone is astounding. Yao Shuren is rolling in his grave right about now.

 

[Zamarak500]

Wow. The Liang are utterly collapsing. What were the Chen doing during all of this? What will the Chen do during the next revolt? This is a prime time to reunite China!

While this was happening the Chen Dynasty was doing their Xianbei Wars that we talked about previously. Both dynasties were just too occupied with their own problems to act against the other.

…..I struggle to fully fathom just how fully Emperor Wen is mucking everything up. It boggles the mind. That farce of an assassination….the fact that Emperor Wen thought he was fooling anyone is astounding. Yao Shuren is rolling in his grave right about now.

Emperor Wen is now just content of being an emperor and has clearly stopped to put efforts in his plots or in his policies (because yes, Emperor Wen up until this chapter was the Emperor Wen who was trying). This explains in part why he didn't botter much on the cover up of the assassination, mostly wanting him dead and not caring about the rest. Same reason as to why, for a man always afraid of being controlled by his generals, he has no problem allowing his wife and brother-in-law to gain influence at a rapid pace.

 

[Zamarak500]

233-235: THE WOES OF EMPEROR WEN​

While Emperor Wen was still fighting the civil war with Zhao Yun, another official started to annoy the court. This was none other than the former Excellency of Works Hu Duo. Hu Duo had a history of being unreliable, self-centered and focused on his own future first and foremost. He had risen under Yuan Shu, only to do nothing to save his patron. He then served as a high ranking official in the Qianfei regime, the Emperor hoping that he might prove a counterbalance to the Jing officers of Liu Siyuan. He rewarded this show of trust by joining with Yao Shuren the moment it became clear that Emperor Qianfei’s cause might fail. More recently, he had been appointed Excellency of Works after Mo Jie’s removal under Emperor Anwu, an office he held when the founding emperor passed away and until Mo Jie returned to reclaim his office. As a consolation prize, Emperor Wen had made him a marquis, but it did little to alleviate the frustration of Huo Du, who spent the last few years plotting in his commandery.

Normally, this kind of actions would have been ignored by Emperor Wen, who had shown to be unwilling to confront his subordinates about their waywardness. But the Imperial Capital was in the middle of an epidemic of Camp Fever, which came to the city thanks to the frequent envoys between Chang’an and the frontline. Many were affected by this disastrous outbreak, including Emperor Wen. While the Son of Heaven only suffered from mild symptoms, it left him a lot more tired than usual and unable to fully participate in the affairs of states. What little he did do was focused on intrigues and information gathering. Oh, and that coming assassination of Qin Qiao. Stressed with all these affairs already, the Emperor was quick to delegate due to his sickness.

Unsurprisingly, the Chancellor had to step in to fill the void left by the Emperor’s sickness, as was expected of him. And Pan Zhiyuan gaining more power also meant that his sister Empress Pan gained more influence through him. Indeed, she was clearly the leading figure between the two of them, even if Pan Zhiyuan was an excellent speaker. Her dominance over her brother was clearly shown by her upfront confrontation of Hu Duo. Pan Zhiyuan, just like Emperor Wen, would have surely left the issue to rest. But Empress Pan believed that such a disloyal official holding a key commandery on the border with the Chen Dynasty could not be tolerated. While she didn’t have anything to accuse him, she forced the issue enough that Emperor Wen and Pan Zhiyuan agreed to relocate Hu Duo to a more isolated commandery.

This did not sit well with Hu Duo. He had been in this region for decades, yet he was supposed to abandon his powerbase just like that? They were trying to isolate him in order to kill him, this was what was happening. Refusing to accept what he saw as a death sentence, Hu Duo had the imperial envoys executed and rebelled against the Liang Dynasty in November 233. This was bad news for everyone, as the Imperial Army was still occupied with Zhao Yun’s revolt at the time. Hu Duo thus had free reins to raise his army and attack Liang territories without any fear of reprisal.

Even worse was the fact that he was soon joined by another esteemed official of the Liang: Jin Xuan. The former Chancellor had been replaced as overall commander of the war by the rising Huang Dunli, who mostly owed his promotions to being the nephew of Emperor Wen. Frustrated by the nepotism and the lack of backbone from his emperor, Jin Xuan was shocked with the way Hu Duo had been handled by the court. The two men were quite close, in part because they were Taoists instead of Confucians, and also because Hu Duo had yet to do anything wrong from Jin Xuan’s point of view. Seeing this as a bridge too far, the older official agreed to join Hu Duo in his revolt, if not to unseat Emperor Wen then at least to force him to remove bad influences around him.

The fact that Jin Xuan had rebelled was far more worrisome than Hu Duo’s little uprising. He was the Intendant of Jingzhao, the region which included the Imperial Capital. Which meant that rebels were now in marching distance of Chang’an. While by then the civil war with Zhao Yun had been resolved with the rebel’s death and a quick deal with his son, it still meant waiting months before the arrival of imperial troops. Jin Xuan had the opportunity to strike at the Imperial Capital and end this right now with a quick victory. But either due to a strategic mistake, Chang’an’s reputation as an impregnable city or his unwillingness to damage the Imperial Capital, Jin Xuan didn’t go for the quick victory. He instead moved to neighboring counties while trying to convince others to join him and Hu Duo.

Emperor Wen used this reprieve to appoint a new Grand Commandant, since he had just murdered the previous one. Sadly for any ambitious general, the position unsurprisingly went to Huang Dunli, with the nephew gaining the highest military office before reaching the age of 20. For once, this appointment was not completely unwarranted. After all, he had been the only one to defeat Zhao Yun during the civil war and had been in the process of winning it when the old general died. The cruel young man was all too happy to gain this new office, which he knew would earn him great amounts of wealth. He was quickly recalled to Chang’an by his uncle, who wanted him to organise the defense of the city. His return home was much despised by the officialdom.

With Huang Dunli absent, the command of this campaign against the rebels would fall upon the shoulders of Lin Fuxing, the Governor of Yi Province. However, Lin Fuxing was himself starting to get sick, which might leave him undisposed to actually lead the troops. Because of this, he had brought with him a general to assist him on this campaign. This second-in-command was Yang Wing, the administrator of Shang Commandery. Yang Wing was of distinguished birth, being the youngest son of Yang Xiu, the first Grand Commandant of the Liang, who himself descended from a line of important Han officials. He was also ambitious and ready to rise to the top just like his father before him.

But he would have his mind away from the battlefield during the whole campaign as his absence from his commandery would be the perfect opportunity for an invasion by Xuan Mei, a move right out of Xuan Su’s playbook. His invasion of You Province had not gone well, and it had turned even worse when the current governor Pan Yi died of old age. With the need of a military commander to guard this important frontier, the court appointed the general Ding Hou, son of Ding Zhichao the Big Halbert and grandson of Ding Kai, Lü Bu’s Commandant. The young man was already an extremely competent military general, so much that it spooked Xuan Mei to the point of asking for peace, afraid of what Ding Zhichao would do to him if the war continued. Instead, the Governor of Bing Province turned his eyes toward Shang Commandery. After all, it was supposed to be part of Bing Province. The only reason it wasn’t was due to Yang Xiu’s expansion, which had stopped Xuan Su from annexing it. Now Xuan Mei had a chance to do what his father had never been able to, and he was not going to miss this opportunity.

Thankfully, this distraction didn’t stop Lin Fuxing and Yang Wing from striking a victory against the rebels in April. For some reason, Hu Duo and Jin Xuan never linked up together, instead fighting the civil war close to their own territories without ever working together. This meant that the Imperial Army could pick them one at a time. And unless one of the two rebels had a general of Zhao Yun’s caliber at their employ, then the war was sure to be won by the Liang. This plan was put into practice when Lin Fuxing launched the imperial troops against the forces of Hu Duo, defeating them on the battlefield in what was nothing less than a superb victory for the Liang, the kind that they badly needed after the many losses against Zhao Yun the previous year.

The following month, Lin Fuxing and Yang Wing were able to achieve another victory, this time against the forces of Jin Xuan. The Intendant of Jingzhao finally realized his mistake in not joining up with his ally, which led him to immediately try to reach Hu Duo. But it was too late to stop the defeat of his armies, and by the time Jin Xuan arrived he was only met with a powerful Liang army. Jin Xuan was unable to do much as most of his troops were either captured or killed on the battlefield, with less than half of them managing to get away. Lin Fuxing, following in the example of Huang Dunli, was not kind to the captives.

In June, the happy Emperor Wen decided to do something about the bad state of the Imperial Capital, notably the managing of the epidemic still going through the court. At the behest of Empress Pan, he removed the Excellency of Works Zhou Kua from his functions. Zhou Kua was one of the last MoJieists at court, and he did not have the spine to defend the ideas of the late reformer. Simply put, he was seen by many as a spineless if somewhat competent official. Normally, this would have made him fit right in Emperor Wen’s court, but someone needed to take the blame.

In his place, Emperor Wen appointed Xu Ziying, the son of the late Chancellor Xu Shu and his former brother-in-law. Xu Ziying was a shrewd and determined young man who wished to rise through the bureaucracy just like his father had done before him. He was a decent enough administrator that he might be able to do the job of Excellency of Works, though he was a step down from Zhou Kua both in experience and competence. With the likes of Pan Zhiyuan, Yang Wing and Xuan Mei also on the rise, this led many to whisper that Emperor Wen favored the sons of powerful officials over experience and talent, which did not please anyone. No wonders Hu Duo and Jin Xuan rebelled.

By the end of the summer, the rebels had been forced to flee to their territories, as victories achieved by Lin Fuxing and other generals had completely devasted their ability to continue the war. It was now becoming clear that the rebellion had no chance of succeeding, with some of the Liang officers whispering that they might even be able to end this little civil war by the end of the year instead of having it drag for two years like the last one. They just needed to win a couple of sieges and this should all be over, they hoped. A piece of cake!

This was also something that Hu Duo realized. Being first and foremost motivated by his survival, Hu Duo took an unprecedented step in order to ensure that he lived through this war. In late September, Hu Duo, Marquis of Yangling and former Excellency of Works of the Liang Dynasty, swore loyalty to Emperor Wu of the Chen Dynasty, bringing with him his entire territories. He had sent envoys to Chenguo to arrange this defection, in exchange of which Emperor Wu would confirm him as the Marquis of Yangling. The Chen Court jumped on that deal and welcomed the traitor into their ranks. This marked the biggest loss of lands to the Chen since Emperor Anwu saw the rest of Runan Commandery defect to Emperor Cheng in 218, before any of them ever became emperors. The Imperial Court in Chang’an was horrified by this turn of event. The acquisition of Yangling Commandery meant that the Chen Dynasty was now in striking distance of Luoyang, the former capital of the Eastern Han. While some officials declared that this demanded an immediate response, Emperor Wen was too sick and too afraid to dare attack the Chen Dynasty over this. He remembered how bad it went the last time and had no desire to see another debacle on that scale.

This territorial loss was followed by a personal one for the Emperor a month later. On the 27th of October 234, Empress Dowager Liang died of natural death at the age of 60. The Empress Dowager never played a strong role in the court of her son, instead simply staying in her palace and trusting him to handle things at the best of his abilities. Besides, she was also far too crass for court politics. Instead, she had been an advisor to her son when it came to familial affairs, like advising him to marry Empress Pan soon after the death of Empress Xu. Her presence had always been a welcomed one by Emperor Wen, who deeply trusted his mother’s advice in the recent years. Her loss certainly had an effect on the Emperor, though it also provided him an excuse for his isolation. He was in mourning, not sick.

Unlike Hu Duo, Jin Xuan was right in the middle of the Liang Dynasty, meaning that defection was not an option for him. He retreated to his territories and tried to put a defense against the advancing Liang army, but at the end of the day this proved a useless effort. The imperial troops were simply too numerous for him to handle, and by November Jin Xuan was forced to surrender and brought in chains to Chang’an. To the Emperor’s surprise, everyone at court argued for clemency, reminding the Emperor of Jin Xuan’s loyal service to the Dynasty up until now. While he wanted to execute him, Emperor Wen was too weak to push against his court, so he pardoned the rebel who was allowed to return to his territories unharmed.

Besides, Emperor Wen had his attention focused on killing another official anyway. Ever since the death of Zhao Yun and the end of that civil war, the Son of Heaven had been planning the death of Governor Zhao Gongxiu of Ji Province. He had managed to send assassins in September to dispatch the son of Zhao Yun, but this attempt had spectacularly failed, with one assassin not only warning Zhao Gongxiu of the plot but also telling him that it came from the Emperor. Now spooked, the governor started to increase his security. He wondered if his advisors had not been right, that he should have continued the fight against Emperor Wen. Realizing his mistake, he started to stockpile weapons for an eventual revolt against the Liang. But this would never be, as a second assassination attempt in December proved far more successful, with the governor discreetly poisoned and a more loyal replacement appointed soon after.

But Emperor Wen would not be able to enjoy this triumph, as by the end of the year his deteriorating health was in a freefall. While he had recovered from his mild case of camp fever in the summer, he had contracted a pneumonia during the fall, which proved far more severe. By December, the Emperor was bed ridden and coughing continuously, to the point that he had difficulties breathing properly. Fearful that this might be the end, Emperor Wen ordered a letter to be written for his brother in Liang Province. Yao Xiu needed to return immediately to Chang’an to ensure a smooth succession should he pass away. In the letter, he also appointed his brother an Imperial Councilor and made him regent of the Dynasty until his health recover (or until he died).

But by now the inner court was firmly loyal to Empress Pan, her brother and their allies. She managed to have the letter intercepted and destroyed, unwilling to let Yao Xiu come and ruin everything the Pan siblings had. Even if her efforts were in many ways futile, as there was no one else but Yao Xiu to inherit the Liang Dynasty, she still refused to surrender to the Crown Prince. She used this time to strengthen her control over the Court, as well as increase the responsibilities of her brother Pan Zhiyuan, who now handle court affairs with the Emperor too sick to attend. A courtier loyal to the Yao Imperial Clan did eventually manage to flee the Capital, but by the time he reached Liang Province it was too late. On the 22nd of January 235, Emperor Wen died at the age of 30. And the next-in-line to the throne was still in Liang, only just made aware that his brother was sick.

______________________________
PS: Well, that’s it for Emperor Wen (205-235). His reign of almost a decade (July 225-January 235) was… turbulent to say the least. The Civil Emperor will get his name due to the many reforms that happened during his reign (courtesy of Mo Jie), though he was himself not that committed to them. And now the throne will pass to his older brother Yao Xiu. So, was Emperor Wen a worthy successor to Emperor Anwu? Did he bring the Liang Dynasty to new heights? Or did he ruin it beyond repairs?

 

[Bibliophile]

Emperor Wen is dead; but wait it gets worse.

That is a rather concerning turn of events at the end there. More and more it feels like that without Anwu, the Liang will simply revert to the same kind of behavior that heralded the death of the Han.

 

[HistoryDude]

Emperor Wen is dead, and his successor doesn't even know that he has a throne.

Were the Chen still dealing with the Xianbei at this point? If not, why didn't they attack the collapsing Liang?

 

[The Meme King]

And here was me thinking we were heading into a more quiet period of the series, sure as hell showed me wrong, lol.

 

[Ixarys]

Not the worst, but not the most worthy of the China’s emperors. Now let’s see how hard will be the struggle between his brother and the Pan clan.

 

[Midnite Duke]

The second generation is having a hard time filling the shoes of their fathers. Farewell Emperor Wen, rest from your twisted visions. Thank you for the update.

 

[Zamarak500]

Thought I'd mention the obvious, but I'm quite busy at the moment, trying to pass a few classes necessary to do my doctorate and correcting my master's thesis. Might not post much or anything in the coming weeks.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Good Luck and may the Mandate of Heaven smile upon you. I will be ready to read when you return.