The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Zamarak500]

192-193: THE YANG EXPANSION​

When the dust settled, everyone agreed that the annexation of Changsha had been a smooth affair. Su Dai was happy to still be in charge of the commandery and had no issue obeying Chen Wen. Yang Weili had proven to be Cheng Wen’s key commander and right hand man, cementing his place at his lord’s side. Even Bu Baoxun, the general who had ran a mock of the Yang armies, had finally agreed that serving Chen Wen was a good opportunity for the officers currently serving Su Dai. Everyone was happy.

Chen Wen was quick to invite his new subordinate to Hefei to celebrate their new relationship. Su Dai quickly made his way to the provincial capital, where he was welcomed to a large feast and honored as an esteemed guest by Chen Wen. At first amazed by the length his new liege would go to make him welcome, he quickly found himself a bit put off by Chen Wen’s more aggressive personality. He acted far more commandingly than what Su Dai had expected, at least from Yang Weili’s description of the man. Still, it wasn’t something that the mild Su Dai had a problem dealing with, quickly easing himself into his new position as a subordinate.

Soon after the banquet, Su Dai found himself welcomed to Chen Wen’s court, where Chen Wen publicly welcomed him among his vassals. The formalities dealt with, Cheng Wen asked everyone their thought on the current situation. Tao Qian was dead and his son Tao Shang now ruled Xu. Liu Biao was still waging war with Yuan Shu. He wanted to know what should be their next move. The old Lu Jun was the first to step forward, saying his mind as he always did.

“With Changsha rallied to us, prosperity will come to Yang. If we stay strong and silent, we will prosper as others suffer, and soon wealth will never be a problem for us. My liege, why risk everything by inviting chaos upon our land? Our sight should on our home, not on futile ambitions.”

This wasn’t a surprising position from the old man, who still selfishly refused to see the province expand. Chen Wen had to admit that Lu Jun made some good points. After all, why risk it all? But he didn’t want to take a decision without hearing Yang Weili’s opinion. He turned to his Commandant and friend, asking the strategist what he believed they should do. Yang Weili was actually yawning when everyone turned to him, leaving him quite embarrassed. Never the less, he quickly rose to his feet and presented his humble opinion. Now, what Lu Jun had said sounded nice. The part about never worrying about wealth definitively had his support. But he pointed out that as long as they were forced to bow to Tao Shang, most of that wealth would never truly be theirs.

No, they needed to break free from Xu Province. Xu Province had probably realized that too. At the time they were speaking, Mi Fang and Liu Siyuan were leading troops against Anyang after a successful campaign to take Chengfu. Tao Shang was expanding his power, so they needed to do the same. At this, Lu Jun balked, calling Yang Weili insane for suggesting such course of action. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Chen Wen who came to support Yang Weili, but Su Dai. The new vassal was all too happy to be useful to his new lord, and so told him that Liu Biao was actually weakened due to the efforts of General Sun Jian. Jing Province was weak, and if a campaign was their solution then he would gladly have Bu Baoxun lead troops beside Chen Wen.

Chen Wen, now completely convinced, announced that he would lead the troops personally. This made Yang Weili flinch. He knew for a fact that Chen Wen had never led any soldier in battle and had no knowledge of military affairs. But he saw the joy on his lord’s face and decided that it would be easier to assist him than to change his mind. Chen Wen ordered the troops to assemble in Changsha Commandery, where Bu Baoxun received orders to meet with them. The inspector decided to leave Lu Jun in charge of Hefei and Yang Province in his absence. While the old man had disagreed with this campaign, he gladly accepted this appointment and promised to make the province prosper in Chen Wen’s absence. While Lu Jun would fail to uphold this promise, he was at least able to keep Yang Province united in the absence of its inspector. In March 192, Chen Wen officially announced that he was invading Jing Province to “expand the peace and order of Yang Province to its neighbour”.

Once they reached Changsha, Su Dai welcomed Chen Wen and Yang Weili in his home. He wanted to show his loyalty to his new lord by welcoming him like he had. However, while Chen Wen was thankful, he was also mightily annoyed. Now was not the time to feast! Yang Weili did his best to calm his lord and then went to meet with Bu Baoxun. The general knew the region far better than they did, so he was appointed head of the vanguard. Discussions were tense as they had been fighting only a few months ago, but they were none the less able to discuss strategy together. Bu Baoxun was worried when he realized that it would be Chen Wen and not Yang Weili who would lead their troops, but Yang Weili did his best to reassure him. “Our lord lead by his presence alone, not by example” he said. Bu Baoxun wasn’t convinced, but Su Dai trusted Chen Wen and he trusted Su Dai’s judgement.

The army left and entered Jing Province by late June. Liu Biao, who had learned of their invasion through his spies, had his troops recalled from their war against Yuan Shu, who himself was pinned down by his war with Zhang Lu and the celestial masters and the revolt of general Sun Jian. This meant that Liu Biao could focus exclusively on these new invaders. There was one problem though: Liu Biao had less than a thousand men left after his defeats at Sun Jian’s hand. Meanwhile, Chen Wen was entering his territories with almost four thousands loyal soldiers who had just come out of a successful war. So for the time being, Liu Biao ordered his brothers-in-law to stay away from Chen Wen and recruit new troops.

This left the field open for Yang Weili and Bu Baoxun to besiege as much cities as they pleased. Chen Wen wanted these sieges to be fast and quick, a success on all fronts. Bu Baoxun tried to explain that sieges take time, that you had to be resilient in this kind of warfare. Chen Wen replied that a quick siege would be better for everyone, as the people of the city would be freed without having to suffer. Yang Weili tried to tell Bu Baoxun that maybe they could bribe the city garrison or have a deal with the local official to speed things up. Not taking the hint, the general continued to argue that NO, you win a siege by waiting until the other guy surrendered! It didn’t take long for the stubborn general to get on Chen Wen’s nerves.

Within a few weeks, Yang Weili was the one relaying things between the two, as the Inspector of Yang Province now refused to talk with Bu Baoxun. This became such a problem that Bu Baoxun ended up asking Yang Weili to be allowed to go off his own way. When Yang Weili told Chen Wen, the latter was incensed. Bu Baoxun kept criticizing him and now he wanted an autonomous command? Chen Wen refused. Undeterred, Bu Baoxun asked again, and again, and again. By October, Chen Wen finally had enough and gave him the ok to venture off on his own.

A month later Bu Baoxun returned. Chen Wen was still angry at him, but it was a fact that he had taken a few towns in Chen Wen’s name. At the very least, this made Bu Baoxun deserving of a reward. So he welcomed back the general in his tent and offered him a great piece of art, which the general bluntly refused. Thankfully, Yang Weili was able to calm Chen Wen and convince him to listen to Bu Baoxun. The general, now allowed to speak, explained that he had returned because he had been spotted by Liu Biao’s army, which was now coming this way. Yang Weili, realizing that Bu Baoxun had given them an opportunity to finally face the enemy on the battlefield, was quick to insist that they needed to plan a strategy so they could be ready. Chen Wen trusted his Commandant to handle the matter, allowing Yang Weili and Bu Baoxun to plan the coming battle.

Said battle took place outside of Shaxian, a city that had just surrendered to the Yang forces. Yang Weili worked out a strategy to lure the enemy forces into a trap. Sure, Liu Biao’s brothers-in-law were decent commanders, but they would surely fall for the right bait. A trap was sprung, with the cavalry waiting in the wing, ready to swoop in to finish the job once ordered. When the smaller Jing army appeared at the horizon, the troops were all in position. Then Yang Weili got the news that Chen Wen was leading a charge against the enemy. Panicked, Yang Weili had to break formation and abandoned the whole plan to come to his rescue. Chen Wen attacked everyone he saw like a madman and had to be dragged out of the battlefield by Yang Weili’s men. As the strategist tended to his wounded lord, Bu Baoxun was able to keep control of the situation and destroy their enemies, ensuring that the battle would be a victory.

As 192 ended and 193 started, Lu Jun received news of this great victory and of the fact that their lord had been wounded in battle. He could only sigh in disapproval. Just another proof that this whole war was a mistake. He had tried to keep the province running, but it was beginning to be difficult with the war requiring so much resources. And then, in early January 193, he learned that there was an army camping outside the walls of Hefei. At first wondering how Chen Wen had returned so fast, Lu Jun quickly realized that it was in fact the army of Xu Province. At its head was Liu He, the Prince of Pengcheng and the Commandant of Xu Province.

The Commandant asked to be allowed in as a guest. Lu Jun agreed, although he was visibly nervous as he met the man. Where they here to attack? But Liu He told his fellow old man that he had nothing to fear. He was simply leading an expedition against some barbarians in Yang Province. Tao Shang had ordered them to submit and pay tribute. Since they refused, Liu He had been dispatched to go fight them. Lu Jun could only sigh. This expansion of Tao Shang’s power south was no going to make Chen Wen happy. It certainly didn’t make him happy. He welcomed the Prince of Pengcheng as a guest, a decision he would come to regret. During his stay, Liu He quickly took notice of the lack of troops around the provincial capital and the constant supply sent east. He had his men investigate the situation discretely while making excuses as to why he had to stay for just a few more days. Soon he learned what was happening: Chen Wen was invading Jing Province. This put Liu He on high alert, and soon enough he sent a messenger back to Tao Shang to warn him of this expansion.

Meanwhile, Chen Wen and his generals were making their way toward the provincial capital. Bu Baoxun had been amply rewarded for his actions during the Battle of Shaxian and had made up with Chen Wen over their earlier dispute. By April, they had put the provincial capital under siege, with Liao Biao stuck inside of it. This time, Chen Wen was convinced that waiting would cause fewer casualties than charging head first against the walls of the city. So they set up their camp and began their siege.

Soon after setting up shop, Chen Wen was notified of a young man wishing enter his service. Intrigued, and always happy to offer a job to great men, he had the man brought to his command tent. The young man had a dozen men with him and a baby son. As he entered, he fell to his knees and thanked Chen Wen for the kindness of allowing him this audience. He presented himself as Hu Zan, a general of Qing Province unlawfully expulsed of his domain by Kong Rong. Searching for a new lord, he heard that Chen Wen was a kind master and wished to serve him.

Now, none of this was really true. Hu Zan’s flight from Qing Province was actually due to his failed revolt. After his defeat, he heard that Liu Biao was facing an invasion and wished to offer him his services, convinced that he could turn the war around. He also hoped that a desperate lord would be far more willing to take him in than a winning one. But by the time he arrived Liu Biao was under siege and seemed doomed to lose. Taken by surprise, Hu Zan quickly adapted to this new situation and offered his services to Chen Wen instead.

Chen Wen was all too happy to welcome this seemingly talented young man and welcomed him in his service, all while Hu Zan continued to thank him. Chen Wen also took pity on the man and his family, offering them a lot of gold to help improve their life. Now, if Hu Zan had first joined him due to circumstances, the sigh of wealth convinced him to devote himself to this man, especially when he realized that Chen Wen always rewarded his servants handsomely.

The inspector then summoned Yang Weili, asking him to find some command for the young man. Yang Weili simply put him in charge of supply without much thought before returning to the siege. Annoyed at what he saw as a lowly appointment, but undeterred, Hu Zan would come back a week later with a plan to reorganize supply in a more efficient way. Yang Weili, who had been too focused on the war to add this task to his workload, was impressed by Hu Zan. The strategist recommended Hu Zan for a promotion, and by the end of the siege the young man was actually helping Yang Weili supervise the whole operation.

By June, it became clear that Liu Biao was about to lose. It was clear to him to. His brothers-in-law came to him with a plan to salvage the situation, however. They could simply invite Chen Wen in and kill him. As Chen When only had two daughters, his death would leave a power vacuum that would force the Yang troops to return home. Liu Biao was hesitant to use such dishonorable tactic, but he told them that he would sleep on it. The next morning, he found out that most of his allies had deserted him, including his brothers-in-law. Now with no one to enact the plan, the Governor of Jing Province ordered the gate open and invited Chen Wen in, surrendering for real. He gave his governor’s seal to him, after which Chen Wen was paraded in the camps by his men. Victory was at hand! They had conquered Jing Province!

As the army of Yang made their way home, they were met with a messenger from Tao Shang. The Governor of Xu was all too happy that Chen Wen had conquered Jing Province for him, yes, but now it was time to give him the governor’s seal so he could appoint someone to rule Jing in his name, like Chen Wen was doing in Yang. Chen Wen perceived this as an insult. Men of Yang had died to win this war, to ensure that Jing could be used for the betterment of Yang Province. And now he was supposed to give it all to someone who didn’t deserve it? No, he would not waste the sacrifice of his men. Chen Wen sent the messenger packing, after which he asked his generals for advices.

Hu Zan was the first to step forward, as he was making a genuine effort to become indispensable to his new lord. He told Chen Wen that they should not disband the army once they reached Hefei, a suggestion Yang Weili quickly agreed with. Tensions with Tao Shang were at an all-time high, and so each side began to prepare for the worst. But as it would turn out, it wasn’t the invasion of Jing Province that would cause the inevitable clash between Chen Wen and Tao Shang. Not, it was something entirely unrelated, the actions of a proud scion of the Han.

_____________________
PS: Liu Siyuan's chapter will be the next one.

 

[Zamarak500]

192-193: THE RIVALS FIGHT IT OUT​

Following the conquest of Anyang in July 192, Liu Siyuan made a quick stop home before being summoned in front of Tao Shang. He was pissed at the idea of jumping back into the backstabbing court so fast, but had no reason to refuse. His cousin Liu He, the Prince of Pengcheng, also advised him to come. So he did, leaving his domain under the loyal protection of his trusted strategist Jiang Gong as he left for Xu Province. He knew that Mi Fang and his brother Mi Zhu were already there, slandering his name. When he arrived and presented himself in front of his lord, he was quickly made aware that the two hadn’t spared a minute to manipulate Tao Shang. While Tao Shang had declared that he would keep Anyang for himself, he appointed Mi Zhu as his estates’ manager there, giving him the town of Jiangting as his personal headquarter.

The general couldn’t understand this sudden decision until his cousin took him aside. Liu Siyuan was furious, asking his cousin why he didn’t stop this. Liu He slapped his cousin for his insolence, after which he simply responded by saying: “I manage our lord’s army while Mi Zhu manages his finances. Which one do you think was he going to trust with his estates?” Liu He also explained how this was actually a ploy by the Mi brothers. By giving Mi Zhu some authority in Anyang, he might be able to support Mi Fang should the younger brother try to take Xincai. While Liu He insisted that it was just a theory, Liu Siyuan couldn’t get this idea out of his head. Having Mi Fang as his neighbour was difficult enough to endure. But now he had to worry about Mi Fang aiming after Xincai? His cousin told him to stop worrying and go back to their lord’s side. They were member of the Liu Clan. It was time to show that they were above the rest, their higher birth radiating on the less fortunate. These words had the desired effect, and Liu Siyuan was now good to go.

A few days later, Tao Shang summoned his court and his advisors. He told them that the recent wars had proven the strength of Xu, but that there were still people resisting his authority. Notably, he pointed out that many barbarians still lived in the south without paying him tribute. At the suggestion of his Commandant Liu He, he decided that by the end of the year they would launch a war against one of these tribes. Yes, it was time for everyone to rally together against the savages.

While he praised Mi Fang and Liu Siyuan (in the order) for their recent successes, he thought that this time the Commandant himself should lead the expedition, with Mi Fang and Liu Siyuan serving as his lieutenants. The Mi brothers cringed at this, but Mi Fang still accepted the appointment without flinching. Liu Siyuan also agreed, although he was surprisingly unenthusiastic. Liu He had expected that this would excite his cousin, the Liu Clan leading an army without Mi Fang being able to give him orders. But Liu Siyuan didn’t trust Mi Fang enough to be by his side anymore. He didn’t even trust his rival enough to leave his home. So when Tao Shang dismissed them and told them to go home to prepare for the start of the campaign in a few months, Liu Siyuan raced to Xincai as fast as he could.

Once home, Liu Siyuan talked with Jiang Gong about his current situation. If he left for campaign, he feared that this would leave Xincai vulnerable to an attack. Even if Mi Fang was with him on campaign, there was no saying what Mi Zhu might do. Jiang Gong advised him to stay in Xincai at all cost, or else he would lose his home to his enemies. While Jiang Gong had his own beefs with Mi Fang, most notably the fact that the general stole his city, he was saying this out of pure consideration for Liu Siyuan. The imperial scion agreed that he couldn’t leave like that. While he felt bad about disobeying his cousin, not doing so would undermine the position of the Liu Clan in Xu Province. Liu Siyuan thanked his advisor, who was simply happy that he could be of use. After all, Liu Siyuan had saved his live even though they were enemies, and had even gone as far as welcome him in his service. Serving him loyally was the least he could do.

Liu Siyuan then consulted his wife on the issue, but found ha lot less enthusiastic than Jiang Gong about the idea. Hao Huitong was the love of his life, which made his time away from her on campaign harder at times. He had hoped that she would be happy that he was now staying longer than planned. But once he explained to her why he was staying, her smile faded. Lady Hao was hesitant about this course of action. Wasn’t it wrong to disobey orders like that? She was worried that that her husband by be going down the wrong path, acting against the orders of his liege like that. However, she also reassured him that she trusted him. If this was the path he wanted to take, she would walk it with him. She trusted him to choose what was best for them. While shaken by his wife hesitation, Liu Siyuan still decided that it was better to remain in Xincai.

By the time the campaign against the barbarians was underway in late October 192, Liu Siyuan was recalled from his home. But instead of going, he sent a messenger saying that he couldn’t leave Xincai due to… hum… illness! Yes, he was too sick to command the troops. While Tao Shang bought the excuse, Liu He didn’t. The Prince of Pengcheng sent his emissaries to Xincai to verify his cousin’s story. In a stroke of luck, Liu Siyuan actually caught a bad case of the flu shortly after he sent his messengers. So when the emissaries arrived, they did indeed find the general sick in his bed. Obviously a man of such strong constitution would survive flu, but still.

When the emissaries returned and told them that Liu Siyuan was indeed sick, Liu He allowed his cousin to stay home, grudgingly accepting that Liu Siyuan was sick. Mi Fang did not such thing. He became convinced that Liu Siyuan was planning something, so he left the camp at night to return to Chengfu in case Liu Siyuan tried anything. Needless to say, both men then refused to leave their respective homes, preparing for what they believed would be nothing less than a war.

The flu had been opportune, but it did leave Liu Siyuan in a bind. He was too sick to really participate in the military preparation of Xincai, and his wife insisted that he didn’t train with the men or lead by example until he had recovered. So he left the preparations to Jiang Gong and instead turned to managing the daily affairs of Xincai, something he had had little time to do due to the wars and the court politics around Tao Shang. And as it turned out, he was actually pretty good at it. He ruled justly and did what he could to improve. Reports of his good governance were sent weekly to Tao Shang, who could only praise him in front of his court, to Mi Zhu’s annoyance. His wife also helped in this. While she wasn’t any good at administrative duties, she was extremely popular among the smallfolk of the county, who loved how she often gave them gifts and brought their concerns back to her husband.

By the early months of 193, Liu Siyuan decided that he simply couldn’t wait anymore. He needed to act, especially as Mi Zhu was currently at Tao Shang’s side, unable to help his brother. He had one final meeting with his wife to tell her that tomorrow he would act. She simply nodded and told him he would always have her support. The next day he informed Jiang Gong that he was going to lead troops against Mi Fang and take Chengfu. It should have been his after the war, and now it was time to fix that mistake. Jiang Gong was happy to hear this and began to make preparations to march as soon as possible. Lady Hao insisted that her husband use that time to recuperate, which he did.

In order to occupy his mind, he read the letters his father had sent him from Luoyang. It seemed that the imperial court was a mess. The emperor was surrounded by bickering courtiers vying for influence. One of them had already died, a barely veiled assassination. Liu Siyuan could only curse. These fools would not restore the glory of the Han. Only members of the Liu Clan like himself could be trusted to come to the Emperor’s rescue. He had tried to convince his father to join him in Xincai, but the old man had refused. “Siyuan, my duty is to serve in the capital and protect the Emperor. I might not be able to do much, but nothing will come from abandoning the Son of Heaven.” Liu Siyuan could only agree.

As it turned out, not everyone was loyal among Liu Siyuan’s ranks. One greedy soldier rode to Chengfu and decided to tell Mi Fang of what was coming, hoping that he would be amply rewarded. Mi Fang instead had the traitor executed. A true loyal man would never betray his liege, even if his liege was a man like Liu Siyuan. After having dealt with the soldier, Mi Fang could turn his attention to what was coming. Now alert of Liu Siyuan’s plan, he decided that the best option he had was to attack first and take Liu Siyuan by surprise before the general as prepared.

He assembled his troops far faster than Jiang Gong could and entered his rival’s territories to the strategist’s surprise. Mi Fang was met by a small garrison in the town Zhanghuatai, where Jiang Gong was in the middle of assembling troops. When Jiang Gong learned of the approaching army, he immediately assembled the few dozen men he had at his disposal. He told them that he would not abandon them and would fight with them until the end of necessary. This galvanised the soldiers, who were now in good spirit even against these insurmountable odds. Still, Jiang Gong had the good sense of sending a messenger to Liu Siyuan, hoping that his lord could come as soon as possible. As it would turn out, the sooner would prove a few hours later, just as the battle was starting. Liu Siyuan had been too impatient and had chosen to go join Jiang Gong directly with the rest of the troops instead of waiting for his signal. This meant that Liu Siyuan surprised both Mi Fang and Jiang Gong when he appeared at the horizon to defeat Mi Fang’s army.

Unwilling to risk another fight in the open against his rival, Mi Fang retreated all the way back to Chengfu, where he prepared for a siege. He became horrified when he learned that people were celebrating Liu Siyuan arrival as he advanced toward Chengfu. As it turned out, many still had fond memories of Jiang Gong and his wise rule. They saw their former lord at Liu Siyuan’s side, praising the general and asking the people to rise up against Mi Fang and give Liu Siyuan their support. And they did, welcoming Jiang Gong and Liu Siyuan as heroes. But this also slowed down their advance considerably, with Liu Siyuan only reaching the walls of Chengfu in June.

It was around this time that both rivals received a surprising news. Chen Wen had annexed Jing Province into his territories and refused to give it to Tao Shang. In a last ditched attempt, Mi Fang tried to use this to convince his rival to abandon his foolish campaign. Chen Wen was unlawfully expanding, ready to strike at their lord at the first opportunity. They should be preparing to lead the armies of their lord instead of fighting. But Liu Siyuan refused. Mi Fang had been the one abusing him, stealing the glory and reward that should have been his. Mi Fang was the one in the wrong.

In the weeks that follow, some soldiers inside Chengfu began to wonder why they were fighting for Mi Fang. Clearly they should be helping Jiang Gong and Liu Siyuan instead. So in early July, some of them opened to gate and allowed Liu Siyuan to enter. Jiang Gong made sure that no soldier was harmed, and soon they were marching on Mi Fang’s mansion. He was as surprised to see them here as he had been oblivious to the treason among his ranks. Mi Fang coldly asked Liu Siyuan if he was going to kill him or simply imprison him. His rival simply answered: “I shall do neither, as even you do not deserve such fate.” If Mi Fang agreed to recognize that Chengfu was his, he would allow Mi Fang to go free. Having no choice, the defeated general agreed to these terms.

While Liu Siyuan celebrated his victory, Mi Fang made it straight for Tao Shang’s court, where he told his liege how Liu Siyuan had treacherously forced him out of Chengfu. This needed to be punished, he insisted. Mi Zhu was quick to give back up his younger brother, pointing out that Mi Fang was the rightful magistrate of Chengfu. He also gave some “gifts” to his lord, which were clearly unrelated to the current situation. Obviously. To his credit, Tao Shang wished to hear Liu Siyuan’s side of the story, at Liu He’s request, but no one came to give it. Liu Siyuan had assumed that everyone would simply share his view that he was in the right here, and so did not dispatch a messenger to tell Tao Shang of what had happened. This sealed his fate in the eyes of Tao Shang, who wrote a letter to his unruly general.

Liu Siyuan was shocked when he read it. He was to give back Chengfu to Mi Fang and present himself in front of Tao Shang for punishment. Liu Siyuan could simply not accept these terms, not after he had just taken what was rightfully his. He sent a letter back to Tao Shang, which was read in front of his liege. It was a complete refusal to cooperate, explaining that he had full right over Chengfu, and pleading his liege not to be manipulated by the Mi brothers anymore. Now personally insulted, Tao Shang sent an ultimatum. He had a month to come to his court or he would be considered in rebellion. Liu Siyuan now found himself hesitant and shaken. His lord was telling him to come or else. His cousin was pleading him to come, as he believed the punishment would be light if he did. But presenting himself in front of Tao Shang would mean playing right in Mi Fang’s hand. For a first in his life, he found himself paralysed by hesitation, fully aware of the weight his decision would have on his future.

______

Yang Weili nodded in thanks to the man who ordered the gates opened. The garrison commander had been quick to let them in once he was told of the reason of their visit. Good. Yang Weili had been afraid that they might be stuck outside waiting for hours until someone finally decided to let them in. Or worst, they might have been turned back entirely. But once they had proven that they weren’t here on Tao Shang’s orders and that their intentions were genuine, they were all allowed in within the hour. He could only hope that the coming meeting would go just as smoothly.

Tensions were high between his lord Chen Wen and Tao Shang. The Governor of Xu Province insisted that Jing Province should be his. What a joke. It was a fact that Chen Wen was the one who held authority over Jing, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon if he had something to say about it. They all soon realized that war with Tao Shang was inevitable and that they had to prepare for it. But then Chen Wen took him aside and told him of the situation that General Liu Siyuan had found himself in. Everyone agreed that this was an opportunity. Liu Siyuan would have been one of the most dangerous commanders to face once they rose into revolt, but now he was finding himself on the out with Tao Shang. What if they instead convinced him to side with them against his lord?

Chen Wen asked him if he could do that. After all, the two of them had a relationship from their meetings during the campaigns of 190. Yang Weili admitted to his lord and friend that relationship was a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, he had met Liu Siyuan, and yes, both men admitted having respect for the other. Yang could only be amazed at the man’s ability to use his spear on the battlefield. But other than this professional respect and the fact that they got along, there was nothing between them. Yang Weili had hoped to keep a correspondence with the scion of the Han. Sadly, his duties to Chen Wen had preventing him from writing often. As it became clear that they would one day try to free themselves from Tao Shang, Yang Weili was told that it was better not to write to Liu Siyuan anymore. After all, the general might wonder why his messengers had to go to Jing Province even though Hefei was right next door. Never the less, Chen Wen insisted that they ought to recruit the great general to their side, and so Yang Weili was now in Xincai to do just that.

As they approached the mansion of the general, Yang Weili could hear the sigh of surprise of the man accompanying him.

“This is the home of the great Liu Siyuan?” Hu Zan asked, seemingly a bit confused.

“Yes. Did you expect something else?”

“Is it so… ordinary. I expected something grandiose, with golden gates and clear symbols of successes everyone. Instead it reminds me of my former home in Chunyu.”

“I heard that the interior is probably more to your expectations.”

“Still, don’t they keep a little bit for their own enjoyment?”

“General Liu is an imperial clansman.” Yang Weili reminded him. “He has enough for whatever he or his wife would want.”

Hu Zan simply shrugged. Yang Weili took a moment to look at the younger man accompanying him. Chen Wen believed that his new officer could prove helpful. From what he had seen of the newcomer, Hu Zan was competent in most domains. Certainly, he also had a talent for court politics, something Yang Weili spend little time worrying about. From what he had been able to see, Hu Zan was clearly motivated by power and wealth. While the strategist had little interest in the former, he could understand what the interest in the latter. People might normally be worried that these characteristics would prove dangerous, but so far Hu Zan had proven loyal to Chen Wen’s cause. And if Chen Wen put his trust in Hu Zan, who was he to question the man’s dedication?

They dismounted their horses in the stables and walked the rest of the way to the mansion, leaving their bodyguards outside. The guards made it clear that only the envoys of Chen Wen would be allowed in, and neither man had time to waste arguing on the issue. Once they entered, Yang Weili could see that he had been right about the place. While the exterior was a bit rustic, the inside had drapes of high quality and recently made potteries as decorations. They were welcomed inside, where Lady Hao Huitong welcomed them. She was wearing a nice dress, worthy of a woman of the capital. Yang Weili had to admit that the woman knew what clothes looked good on her. Hu Zan certainly seemed to have a good reaction, murmuring a nice comment for his ears only.

“Lady Hao.” Yang Weili said as he bowed to the woman. “Thank you for welcoming us into your home.”

“General Yang.” she said with a smile. “It has been a few years since our last meeting.”

“Ah yes!” he laughed a bit before turning to Hu Zan, the younger ma already giving a polite nod to the lady. “And this is Hu Zan, another loyal officer of Yang Province.”

“My pleasure.”

Hu Zan allowed himself a small wink. Lady Hao smile out of politesse, but did nothing to indicate that she appreciated the attention.

“How are your wives?” she asked.

“My wife is fine, thank you for your concerns.” Yang Weili informed her. “She is currently in Xipingru awaiting our second child. As for Hu Zan, the man is sadly a widower.”

Hu Zan shot him a dark look, probably feeling like he had been looked down upon for some reason. Yang Weili couldn’t understand why. He had simply stated facts, after all. Hu Zan was a widower, so what was the issue with pointing that out.

“Lady Hao.” Hu Zan started, clearly intent on changing the subject. “May I ask when we can hope to speak with the General?”

“My husband is currently training in the garden.” she informed them.

The two men gave themselves a look of confusion.

“Isn’t the general sick?” Hu Zan asked.

“Yes, but he needed a breather to get away from the current crisis we are facing, so I gave him the ok to go train this time.” Lady Hao explained. “Would you like me to go fetch him?”

“We wouldn’t dream of interrupting his training.” Yang Weili interjected. “But if you could just point us toward the garden…”

“Please, follow me.” she said.

Lady Hao led them through the mansion, finally stopping at the entrance of a small garden, right down the middle of the building. It was an open area, a little larger than a normal room. She nodded to them to enter as she left, wishing to give them some alone time. As Yang Weili stepped in the garden, he could see the muscular man practicing with a spear in silence, the only sound being the ones of the weapon piercing the air and the steps he took as he moved. Yang Weili could only be impressed by the talent Liu Siyuan was showing at the moment, moving that well even though he was sick. He noticed that Hu Zan had the same reaction. Once he turned back to Liu Siyuan, he found the spear right in front of his eye. Taken by surprise, Yang Weili fell back at the sight of the weapon.

“It seems I was too focused on my training to notice you.” Liu Siyuan said, offering him a hand.

Yang Weili took the hand and got up on his feet, still a bit shaken.

“Still as passionate about your weapon as ever, I see.” Yang Weili commented.

“One has to train to keep his skills.” the Liu clansman answered. “It has been a while since our last meeting, General Yang.”

“Almost three years.” Yang Weili added.

“How time passes…”

Liu Siyuan was quick to turn his attention to the other man standing next to Yang Weili.

“And this is?”

“I am Colonel Hu Zan.” he presented himself. “You might have heard of my exploits in Qing Province?”

“My mind has been solely focused on my duties, so I didn’t have much time to learn of events elsewhere.” Liu Siyuan answered.

Hu Zan’s face crisped. It was clear that this wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. He probably hoped that he could have the same kind of mutual respect with Liu Siyuan that Yang Weili shared with the general.

“Commendable.” Hu Zan said in a sarcastic tone, “Too bad that you aren’t appreciated by your lord anymore.”

Liu Siyuan frowned at this comment. He turned around and planted his spear in the ground, making it clear he was finished with his training.

“So? Why are you two here?”

“We heard of the predicament you are in, General Liu.” Yang Weili informed him.

“And why are you interested in my situation?”

“Well, Inspector Chen Wen believes that he can help your situation.”

“How?”

It was clear that Liu Siyuan wasn’t that interested in hearing what they had to say, mostly asking out of politeness. It was also clear that he had yet to figure out why they were having this discussion.

“In a mutual way.” Hu Zan said, keeping the whole thing as nebulous as possible.

While Hu Zan seemed to have no problem hiding details, it wasn’t the case for Yang Weili. He wanted no part in that, and so instead chose to be straight with the general.

“General Liu, correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like you are headed right toward a fight with Tao Shang.”

“My fight with the Mi brothers, not Tao Shang!” Liu Siyuan insisted.

“Inspector Chen is also on a collision court with Governor Tao. My lord thus believe that we could cooperate toward that same goal.”

“It is Mi Fang and Mi Zhu that I wish to fight!”

Liu Siyuan was really insisting this specific detail.

“It doesn’t change the fact that Tao Shang listens to them, not to you. You need our help as much as we need yours.”

“It is treason that you ask of me, General Yang!”

“Tao Shang was the first to commit treason toward you.” Yang Weili countered.

“My cousin Liu He is loyal to Tao Shang. Do you want me to fight him too?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time Liu has fought Liu.” Hu Zan pointed out. “Emperor Guangwu defeated the pretender Liu Penzi and the Genshi Emperor before he could unify the realm.”

“Do not speak of my imperial ancestor like he was a common thug.” Liu Siyuan warned him.

“I wasn’t. I was pointing out the sacrificed his late majesty had to do to restore the Han.” Hu Zan explained. “Are you going to waver where he remained strong?”

“Explain.”

“I heard that you dream of saving the Great Han Dynasty from the corrupt officials and violent villains. But how can you achieve this goal if you allow yourself to be destroyed by Tao Shang?”

“I will find a way.” he said, although his resolves were wavering.

“Will you really allow Mi Fang to trap you against the wall like that? What about the Emperor?”

Liu Siyuan stopped to think, walking in circle as he considered all that Hu Zan had told him. Yang Weili kind only look in amazement. Chen When was right; Hu Zan indeed proved useful. Still, he felt a bit wrong using such manipulation against a man he respected so much.

“And why should I abandon one lord just to serve another one?” Liu Siyuan finally asked.

“Inspector Chen would never dare to ask you to serve him.” Yang Weili replied. “He wants you to fight side by side with him, not under him.”

“And what after the war?”

“You can rule Xincai and Chengfu as you see fit, knowing that you have a friend, not a lord, in charge of Yang Province.”

Liu Siyuan fell silent once more. Yang Weili exchange a look with Hu Zan, wondering what was in the mind of this great warrior. Had they succeeded in convincing him? Or were there doubts now creeping in his mind?

“If you need time to think about it, we can…” but Hu Zan was cut off.

“No. I have already decided. It is clear that I am now at a crossroad. The road I now take will determine my destiny and how useful I will be to the Emperor. The fact that you two came here is nothing if a sign from Heaven. I must be free to act on my own if I want to save the Han. Tell Inspector Chen that I will fight by his side against Tao Shang.”

He offered Yang Weili a hand, which the strategist quickly grabbed.

“It will be a hard fight, but together I have no doubts that we will triumph.”

_______
PS: Happy Christmas everyone!

 

[Zamarak500]

192-193: AGAINST THE BARBARIANS​

Lü Bu had kept some of his focus on the imperial campaign against the White Wave Bandits that was still happening right under his territories. Now, he had no desire to use his troops for a war he had basically already won under Dong Zhuo. Why fight a war that was no longer useful to his ambitions? It was better to expand north and take out the small Xiongnu chieftains that lived on the border. As he achieved these victories, he realized that the imperial army was actually struggling, which could only make him thing less of the generals in charge. How could the imperial government be trusted with these counties if they couldn’t even take them back from bandits. No, Lü Bu was convinced that Dong Huang would give him these territories should they manage to dislodge the White Wave Bandits.

So when in August 192 the Imperial Court finally defeated the bandits, Lü Bu sent them a missive demanding to be given the territories. But the bureaucrats in Luoyang actually refused his demand, instead giving it these territories to two of Dong Zhuo’s assassins. For Lü Bu, this was nothing less than a slight. And his pride wasn’t help by the current situation of his “ally” Guo Si. Since taking over Liang, it seemed that everything was going right for the general. He had adopted Dong Zhuo’s mistress and could now call himself the grandfather of Dong Zhuo’s only biological son, a clear challenge to both Lü Bu and Dong Huang’s ownership of the warlord legacy. And if this wasn’t enough, he was also in the process of destroying one of the last rebels of the Liang Rebellion; Ma Teng.

No, this could not stand. Lü Bu had to show everyone that he was the greatest of them all, the general among generals, the warrior among warriors. So he set his sight on the Northern Xongnu Khaganate. Yes, defeating the Northern Xiongnus and pushing them out of Bing Province would clearly show everyone that he was the superior hero. He quickly began to organize his campaign with his two main advisors: Xu Rong and Xuan Su. Li Jue, his previous commander, had recently died, forcing the governor to replace him. Xuan Su was quick to campaign for the office, wishing to become Lü Bu’s right-hand man. The governor was impressed with the loyalty Xuan Su had showed to his cause, and the fact that Xuan Su had experience fighting the barbarians up north was an advantage that could prove useful. Still, he went with Xu Rong as his new Commandant. Lü Bu decided to pick someone he knew would stay loyal and who had fought by his side multiple times.

It didn’t mean that he wouldn’t use Xuan Su for the campaign, however. Indeed, his experience fighting the Xiongnus made it mandatory that he come with Lü Bu when the time came to go fight the Northern Xiongnus. Within two weeks of the victory of the Imperial Court against the White Wave Bandits, Lü Bu declared that he was going to finally push the last Xiognus out of Bing and bring back imperial peace in the province, under his leadership of course. Xuan Su was supposed to go meet Lü Bu and Xu Rong as they approached the border, but surprisingly, Lü Bu was instead met by a group of messengers. Angrily asking where Xuan Su was, the messengers told him that their lord was sadly dying. Xuan Su had been awaiting this campaign with impatience. He saw it as an opportunity to prove himself to Lü Bu and finally graduate from his inner circle to the position of right-hand man. And if the opportunity appeared, he might even get a chance to get rid of Xu Rong… But then he began coughing, and sneezing, and having headaches. And it only got worst by the day. Soon enough, he was diagnosticated with a bad case of the flu, emphasis on the bad part. As the messengers were telling Lü Bu of his situation, Xuan Su was in his bed, half conscient, with many fearing that he would not make it.

Lü Bu was angered at Xuan Su for being so weak and quickly dismissed the messengers, telling them to get out of his sight at once. It seemed that he would have to do this war without his northern expert… Still, he had the advantage of surprise. The current ruler of the Northern Xiongnus was Huchuqan Khagan. Huchuqan had been in the process of attacking You Province when Lü Bu declared war on him, so it would take a few months for him to return to defend his territories. Besides, the Khagan wasn’t known as a fighter. Huchuqan Khagan was a timid coward who preferred women to soldiers. Maybe he wouldn’t even dare to show up against the mighty Lü Bu!

So Lü Bu had a free hand in advancing against his enemy, who was completely occupied with his war in You Province. This allowed Lü Bu to advance into the territories he wanted without too much hassle. He did find difficulties in holding them down, however. After all, nomads weren’t exactly known to hold still, so Lü Bu actually had to find where the Xiongnus were before conquering them. He had no desire to do it himself however, instead sending Xu Rong with a searching party to do the job instead. Xu Rong took the job without complain, although in private he lamented that this war had turned into a hide and seek game he was left to deal with. When Xu Rong finally found some Xiongnu tribes, he proved zealous in his effort to pacify them, seeing the lives of the barbarians as expandable should they refuse to immediately submit to his authority.

This process took a few months, and by March 193 Huchuqan Khagan had finally returned with his army, which was larger than that of Lü Bu. Once alerted that the horde was coming to face them, Lü Bu was quick to dispatch a messenger to bring Xu Rong back so the two could prepare. Well, so Xu Rong could prepare. Lü Bu was going to lead by example and charge in the melee, killing as many enemies as he could. This left Xu Rong to manage the actual tactical aspect, which he didn’t complain about. After all, he was Lü Bu’s Commandant, and he prided himself with this position. This combination worked, as Xu Rong’s superior tactics and Lü Bu’s inspiring leadership on the battlefield allowed them to triumph over the Xiongnus. The war would continue for another two months before the Khagan finally abandoned all hope of defeating the invincible Lü Bu and surrendered the territory demanded by the governor.

But by that time Xuan Su had recovered from his almost deadly sickness. As he healed, he realized that Lü Bu had left him behind and gone on campaign without him. While a bit annoyed at this missed opportunity. He sent a messenger to Lü Bu’s camp, asking him to be allowed to join in with him. But Lü Bu refused, telling him to simply watch the province in his absence. He had done it before, after all. Xuan Su, while annoyed to find himself once again sidelined, agreed to the terms. Besides, if Lü Bu wasn’t going let him go to war with hm, maybe Xuan Su could fin a way to do a little bit of conquest of his own…

His eyes fell on Shuofang Commandery, which was ruled by an old man named Qiu Fang. Qiu Fang was simple, humble and family focused. But he was also increasingly paranoid. Xuan Su had heard that ever since Lü Bu had taken over the province, the old administrator had been preparing for the worst. Might be a good idea to get rid of him, or at least neutralise him. So in the absence of Lü Bu Xuan Su claimed some trumped up charges against Qui Fang and launched his troops against him to take over the commandery. By the time Xuan Su started the conflict, both men had already amassed their armies. Qiu Fang hadn’t missed the fact that Xuan Su was mobilizing.

But even as he prepared, he knew he was doomed. Xuan Su had far more men, and soon achieved a victory on the battlefield. But Xuan Su also had a problem. Lü Bu was returning from campaign. Who knew how the governor might react to this little war of his. Lü Bu might get angry that Xuan Su had used his absence to expand his own power in the province. So he quickly contacted Qiu Fang and lied through his teeth. He explained that Lü Bu was on his side and that the governor had sanctioned this war. Should Qiu Fang refuse to surrender, he would be slaughtered alongside his family once their lord had returned. Spooked, but unsure if Xuan Su was telling the truth, Qiu Fang was able to demand that he be allowed to remain a magistrate under Xuan Su. Having no time to waste, Xuan Su agreed to the terms and gained control of Shuofang Commandery. When Lü Bu returned home, he was told by Xuan Su that this expansion had been done to stop any rebellion in his absence. The famed warrior barely cared and just shrugged off the whole affair. Xu Rong was a lot more worried about this, however, and tried his best to explain to Lü Bu the dangers of allowing Xuan Su to do as he pleased. He was so loud about it that it quickly reached Xuan Su’s ears…

________

Han Sui was now in a difficult situation. The recent war against Guo Si had been damaging to the rebel cause. Ma Teng had been destroyed and forced to join him as his territories were conquered by Dong Zhuo’s former general. This meant that Han Sui was now the only rebel warlord left in the region, the only one standing against the oppression of the central government. In other word, his situation had just become a lot worst. He could only worry about what the future might bring to their cause.

But before finding a solution to their current problem, Han Sui first had to find a way to deal with the situation he had within his own entourage. The arrival of Ma Teng and his family had caused a few problems among his ranks. It didn’t help that Ma Teng still saw himself as an equal to Han Sui, even without his territories. But now that he was in his court, at his service, Ma Teng looked a lot more like a subordinate to Han Sui. The warlord tried to humor his old ally, but at time it was hard to for the Qiang rebel to accept his new position. Ma Teng expected to be consulted on most affairs, which was a problem for Han Sui.

Out of respect for his former ally, he appointed him as his lieutenant, his second-in-command when it came to military affairs. Ma Teng was a great general, and having him lead the troops would be the best use of such a man. Of course, that meant pushing out the current lieutenant, Wang Bi. Wang Bi was not happy about this one bit. He had served Han Sui for years now and had proven a great and loyal commander. Now his years of service were going to be ignored so he could be pushed aside for a more experienced rebel? Thankfully, few people understood a word of what Wang Bi was saying, so his complains were mostly ignored. Mostly. He did manage to get into a duel with Ma Teng’s son Ma Chao. This duel almost caused an irreconcilable rift between the two groups. Thankfully both Ma Teng and Han Sui forbade the duel at the last moment, allowing cooler heads to prevail.

But this was not the end of the issue. While Ma Teng was now consulted on all military affairs, he wanted to be consulted on all affairs as an equal. This put him at odds with Han Sui’s actual right-hand man, Chenggong Ying. Chenggong Ying had been for a while the heir apparent to Han Sui should the rebel leader die without an heir, an accepted fact among all of his followers. The arrival of Ma Teng had challenged this idea, as the older warlord had a good claim to succeeding his ally should anything happen to Han Sui. Still, Chenggong Ying tried to be accommodating with Ma Teng and consult him from times to time. Ma Teng, while kind and respectful toward the younger man, never the less treated him as a subordinate instead of an equal, which caused many tensions among those that had been with Han Sui since the beginning and those that had arrived alongside Ma Teng.

As it turned out, the only individual that both sides supported wholeheartedly was the architect Mo Jie. Mo Jie was already known as the man Han Sui always turned to when it came to administrative or economic issues within their territories. Every times Mo Jie had proven to be a sound advisor with excellent suggestions… when people understood him. Mo Jie had also played a key role in saving the Ma Clan from Guo Si, which had gained him the honor of being betroth to Ma Teng’s daughter. Now destined to become his son-in-law, Mo Jie kept receiving support from the Qiang rebel, who always insisted that the architect be given more responsibilities. Han Sui, who already relied on him for administrative issues, now began to welcome him in the military meetings as well. While this forced him to get into the spotlight, which he hated, it also forced Mo Jie to learn to be coherent with his speech, which allowed him to finally be understood. He still sounded strange, however, and often his tone gave the opposite impression of what he wanted. But hey, at least people understood his words now.

In June 193, Han Sui declared that they would go to war with the neighbouring barbarians. A surprise, but a welcome one. Everyone hoped that a small war might ease tensions among the courtiers, especially Han Sui. But he also saw this as an opportunity to reinforce his position against Guo Si by expanding. He had no choice but to expand if he wanted to be able to push back Guo Si, after all. And Han Sui was now convinced that Guo Si would eventually turn his sight on his territories and invade. So it was better to expand now while the governor was recuperating. Han Sui told Ma Teng that he trusted him to le4ad the defence of his territories in his absence and left to go conquer Lianju.

Han Sui took three of his courtiers with him. First was of course Chenggong Ying. It was obvious that he would take his protégé with him. Chenggong Ying was also one of the best generals he had with him, able to handle most situation on and out of the battlefield. To please Ma Teng and his supporters, he also brought Ma Chao, Ma Teng’s warrior son. Ma Chao was a bit unruly for Han Sui’s tastes, but the rebel leader couldn’t deny his skills. And then there was Mo Jie, who Ma Teng insisted should also be of the campaign. Mo Jie been too shy to explain that his place wasn’t on the battlefield, and Ma Teng insisted that the architect needed some military experience. As soon as they left, they found themselves facing a quickly assembled barbarian army trying to oppose them. It was a courageous effort, but a useless one, Ma Chao destroying the army with a courageous charge and proving once again how much of a great warrior he was.

The barbarians, now afraid of their incoming defeat, turned to desperate measures. They sent messengers to Liang Province just as Han Sui and his army were approaching their villages. They wished to ask for Guo Si’s help and wished to become his tributaries. But when they arrived in the provincial capital, they were instead met Yao Shuren, who had been left in charge of the province as Guo Si had to work with Dong Huang to actually handle dangerous threats in the province. They begged Yao Shuren to come to their aid. While interested, he also refused to offer any assistance. It was simply not worth it. Right now he was Guo Si’s expected heir, his closest servant. Launching a campaign like that without his approval would be damaging for his career.

But the barbarians were persistent. They returned to Lianju and actually succeeded in launching a raid against Han Sui’s camp, even capturing one of the rebel leaders. They quickly had him delivered to Yao Shuren in hope that this would change his mind. It did succeed in getting his attention. If he was delivered Han Sui or Ma Chao, he might be able to spin this in a way that would please Guo Si. But instead of an important leader or general, the man he was presented was someone he had little knowledge of. Mo Jie? Who the heck was Mo Jie? He had to refresh his memory by reading a few reports on the rebels to replace him as this architect who joined the rebel cause when the province went into revolt. Mo Jie explained the best he could who he was, but it did little to convince the young strategist of his importance. Yao Shuren was quick to chastise the barbarians. Mo Jie was useless to him, and he was certainly not worth risking his current position with Guo Si! He killed some of the barbarian envoys so this time they would understand the message. Now afraid of their potential ally, they fled back to their territory, only to be ambushed by Chenggong Ying. Mo Jie was freed and by October Lianju was conquered by Han Sui. This war was notable for being the first “meeting” between Mo Jie and Yao Shuren, although it would be far from their last.

 

[Zamarak500]

192-193: LUOYANG AND ITS CRISES​

The war with the White Wave Bandits was finally over. The rebels had been destroyed thanks to the efforts of loyal commanders of the Imperial Army. This victory had given some sense of legitimacy to the current imperial government and had made heroes of generals like Duan Wei and Niu Fu. Many in the capital hoped that this victory would prove the start of a long period of peace and stability. Dong Huang certainly hoped so. Never a man to seek confrontation, he had difficulties controlling the court like his uncle before him, especially with the war he inherited. But now he hoped to be the bridge linking Dong Zhuo’s former generals with the officials who overthrew him. Yes, he was the one who could hold them together. Or at least that’s what he tried to tell himself. In reality, he was quickly alienating both, and his actions in the months to come would only isolate him more from his supposed allies.

His first mistake, at least in the eyes of the former conspirators, was made only a month after the victory against the White Wave Bandits. Some local magistrate in Bing Province, trying to get in the good graces of the imperial court, sent a young man to go serve there. The 21 years old man was named Sui Boneng and quickly declared his willingness to serve the Chancellor and help him administrate the Han Dynasty in the Emperor’s name. Flattered and amazed by the recommendations that preceded Sui Boneng, Dong Huang was quick to put him to work and give him multiple duties at court. The young man proved worthy of the tasks granted to him, accomplishing his duties with unmistakeable talent. This led Dong Huang to rely on him on various administrative affairs. The problem with this new arrival who was skyrocketed to the Chancellor’s inner circle was that Sui Boneng… was a eunuch.

It had only been four years since the fateful confrontation between the wicked eunuchs and He Jin which led to the rise of Dong Zhuo. In the eyes of everyone, the eunuchs were still a symbol of corruption and treachery. So when the former conspirators learned that Dong Huang had taken an eunuch in his service, they were taken aback. Yang Biao was quick to denounce Sui Boneng as a proof of the corruption surrounding Dong Huang. He made it abundantly clear that he felt that Dong Huang might not be qualified for his position if he allowed this kind of individual in his inner circle. Dong Huang found himself in the awkward position of defending a eunuch, which he did poorly as he didn’t know how to reply to the attacks. Yang Biao and his allies were quick to gain the sympathy of the officials who were strict adherents to Confucianism and of those that had seen the corruption of the eunuchs first hand. Now, Yang Biao was doing this out of worries for the imperial regime, which he didn’t want to see fall in the same excesses again. But it didn’t hurt that this undermined Dong Huang’s position in his favor.

Ironically, his attacks about the treachery of eunuchs were directed to a man whose loyalty was unquestionable. Sui Boneng was loyal to Dong Huang, and at no point of his life would he ever consider betraying his lord. He simply wanted to serve the Han Dynasty and its Chancellor to the best of his abilities. It also helped that Sui Boneng was smart enough to realize that it was the best course of action for his life. He knew what had led to the previous eunuchs’ demise and had no desire to share their fate. So Dong Huang continued to use Sui Boneng. While it undermined his position, this also left him with a competent bureaucrat that could handle issues he would have normally been forced to hand over to Yang Biao and his ilk.

The eunuch was the first strike against Dong Huang. His second strike in the eyes of those he was supposed to unite was once again due to his favoritism toward another big outcast of Han China: a barbarian. In January 193, a tribe of Qiang barbarians made their way into Bing Province while Lü Bu was fighting the Xiongnus up north. The tribe was led by Yao Xu, a Qiang general who had fled his homeland following the civil war. And now he was in the middle of Bing Province. With Lü Bu up north and Xuan Su too sick to do anything, the local magistrates turned to Dong Huang for help. The Chancellor was deeply afraid of what this could entail. Should he leave Yao Xu be, the barbarian might lead his people into a series of pillages and sackings, which would diminish his authority and bring upon him the wrath of Lü Bu for allowing this. If he acted, he brought troops in Bing, which Lü Bu might not take well to.

Of course, the former conspirators were pushing him to do the later in order to re-establish imperial authority in the province. Lü Bu was absent and they had just been invited in by the local officials! What an opportunity to retake the province! But Dong Huang feared a conflict with Lü Bu and instead sought the advice of his eunuch. Sui Boneng advised that they should use this barbarians instead of fighting him. Give him a provincial office where he could settle his people and serve the Han as a general. Now, this idea was highly opposed by many at court, who believed that bringing in a barbarian was insulting an unacceptable. But Dong Huang saw this as an opportunity to gain an ally only loyal to him. He sent emissaries to Yao Xu, offering him to submit to the Han in exchange of being appointed Magistrate of Tongguo and receiving a command in the imperial army. Yao Xu accepted and quickly occupied Tongguo with his troops. This did not sit well with Lü Bu, who was furious upon his return from campaign.

Dong Huang loss of support was a big problem for him. It made the Chancellor ever more aware of others, in particular of the new rising stars in the military. One of these was Niu Fu, the administrator of Hongnong Commandery and one of the main heroes of the campaign against the White Waves Bandits. Niu Fu was especially beloved due to his lack of ambition and his obvious loyalty to the Han Dynasty. Few in this era could be counted as loyal subjects of the throne, but Niu Fu was one of them. So when he managed to bring back the Henan Commandery into the imperial fold, he was hailed as a hero. He had managed to reclaim the territories surrounding the capital faster than the other warlord eying the territories, including Cao Cao. Everyone applauded his accomplishment. Everyone except Dong Huang. The Chancellor was now realizing that Niu Fu might become the rallying point of Han officials willing to remove him from power. Niu Fu also realized this and was quick to go meet the Chancellor in person, making it clear that he had no ambition to ever replace him.

If the eunuch was the first strike and the barbarian the second, some might expect that repeatedly trying to kill one of his “allies” might be seen as the third and final strike. But as it turned out, Feng Fang had become such an annoyance that few saw it as a bad thing. For most of 192, Dong Huang had attempted against Feng Fang’s life on multiple occasions. None off the plots could officially be linked back to the Chancellor, but his involvement had become something of an open secret due to his not secret at all animosity toward the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies. Feng Fang realized that situation he was in and decided to plot back against the Chancellor. But Feng Fang had greatly underestimated his power and influence. As Grand Commandant, he had managed to alienate most of the military by his spats of anger and the fact that he wasn’t a careered officer like many of them. No, he was some courtier appointed because he helped kill a fat warlord.

This loss of support within the military had led Yang Biao and Shisun Rui to reconsider their association with Feng Fang. His tendency to act as if he was the true leader of the coup was also annoying them. He was proving corrupt and problematic, with little tact to calm his allies. Jiang Xian had been the only one trying to mend the rift between everyone in an honorable effort to bring everyone together, but it had been a complete failure on the long run. Even as he was alienating everyone faster than even Dong Huang, Feng Fang continued to act like he was the true power in the capital, now plotting to replace Dong Huang by himself. But by April 193 his luck had finally run out. In the middle of the night, Dong Huang sent assassins to his room. The guards of the house, who had been bribed, stepped aside as the assassins entered the bedroom. They woke up Feng Fang, but all he managed to do was to struggle. Struggle long enough for the assassins to be discovered, yes, but not enough to live.

The death of Feng Fang and Dong Huang now publicized involvement were a shock to Jiang Xian, who had hoped that everyone would work together to help the Emperor rule the Dynasty. His honorable view of imperial service had blinded him to what was happening. He quickly contacted Yang Biao and Shisun Rui to ask them what they should all do to avenge Feng Fang, but he was met with silent glares and sighs of annoyance. They had no intention to do anything for Feng Fang. He had been dragging their righteous cause down, so his disappearance was actually welcomed by the two men. “How can you say that?” Jiang Xian asked them. “Was he not our sworn brother? What happened to that oath that united us?”

But his fellow officials seemed more interested in fulfilling their duties and searching a way to use this against Dong Huang to improve their position. Of course, they were doing this in the hope of finally cleaning the court of the corruption that still plagued it so the Emperor could truly be surrounded by loyal servants. But to Jiang Xian, this was seen as a betrayal of everything they were supposed to be. His honorable vision of the world was highly shaken by the death of Feng Fang and the subsequent reaction of his allies. Following the funerals, which few attended, Jiang Xian reclused himself for a few weeks. He was seriously doubting himself and righteousness of their cause. In doubt, he went to his wife Diaochan, asking for her advice. She told him “You have fulfilled your obligations to my father, but now you must focus on yourself first.”

And indeed, he began to realize that she was right. He had put the cause of the Han first, before his own career and his personal desires. And for what? They had killed a tyrant only to replace him by his nephew. Eve n worst, they had invited factionalism at court, leaving those supposed to be loyal to the emperor. He had tried his best to stay out of the political disputes at court, but it was now obvious that they had overwhelmed everything. And if he didn’t pay attention to it, he might find himself overwhelmed by them. He tried honor, and it had only brought more problems to him and the Han. So now he needed to play the game of politics and deceptions if he wanted to survive at court. No, not survive. Thrive. After all, how could he serve the Han if he followed Feng Fang to the grave?

Dong Huang was quick to appoint the barbarian Yao Xu as his new Grand Commandant. This moved was controversial and badly received all around. The court felt that allowing a barbarian to lead the imperial army was inacceptable. They would have preferred to see a hero like the good Niu Fu, or to a lesser extent Duan Wei, as the new Grand Commandant. Meanwhile, both Guo Si and Lü Bu had hoped that Dong Huang would call upon them to fill the position. But Dong Huang decided to go with someone he knew he could trust, someone that would remain loyal to his cause. Still, even Dong Huang grandmother chastise him for allowing such barbarian in his service, claiming that her uncle “surrounded himself with strong men, not beasts. And unlike you, he would have been able to hold them in leash.” The pressure against Yao Xu’s appointment was such that Dong Huang seriously considered removing him from office. That is, if Yao Xu wasn’t already leading troops against a rebellion.

In December 192, shortly after he had claimed the territories of the rebel Ma Teng, Guo Si found himself faced with a revolt from the barbarians living in his province. Two revolts of locals who didn’t like the idea of being conscripted to fight the people defending their cause. News of the defeat of Ma Teng had led many of them to rise up against Guo Si. This was a problem. The troops were still mostly in the south of the province, away from the center point of the rebellions. The army of Liang was tired after such a long and surprisingly hard campaign. To that was added the problem of Guo Si himself, who had taken to alcohol following the setbacks during the recent campaign.

While he assembled his troops in the hope of stopping the revolts, Guo Si drunkenly blurred out “Where is Dong Huang? He should be the one dealing with this mess!” Not wanting to contradict their drunk leader, the general Hu Zhen sent a letter to the imperial court demanding their help in dealing with the revolts. The messengers only arrived in late February 193, at which point Guo Si had decided to let Dong Huang handle this so to weaken the imperial army. Why waste his troops when he didn’t have to? Dong Huang also saw an opportunity to get Guo Si on his side and restore some of his authority in the province. He quickly dispatched Duan Wei and the newly arrived Yao Xu to Liang, although he suspiciously did not summon Niu Fu. When they reached Liang, the two generals were met by Guo Si, who gave them a cold welcome. Guo Si proved especially cold and insulting toward Duan Wei, another former general of Dong Zhuo. “How does it feel to parade for those that betrayed our lord?” he drunkenly asked Duan Wei. The general was not amused at these comments, but did his best to simply ignore them.

But the rebels and the disputes would prove the lesser of their problems on the long run. Seeing an opportunity, a Khan of the Xianbei Khaganate had decided to strike down on Liang and invade the province. Now they had to deal no only with local rebels but a horde of horsemen striking down on Liang. But there was hope, as it turned out that a few men chose to come to the help of the Dynasty. The first was the now legendary Cao Cao, a general who knew no bounds and who had bravely tried to kill the villain Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao saw an opportunity with the current crisis and hoped that this would allow him to gain a foot back in the capital. But another general shared the same ideas. Hoping to gain legitimacy after breaking up with Yuan Shu, Colonel Sun Jian offered his help to Luoyang against the invading horde. This would force Luyang to recognize his authority over his territories, giving him the legitimacy he needed to pursue his own ambitions. Finally, there was a magistrate of southern Yu Province named Li Tong. While Li Tong was loyal to the Han, his main motivation toward offering his help was his current disputes with the Prince of Chen. By helping the Chancellor, he hoped to get the same support should things get down to with his neighbour again.

The three men were welcomed as heroes when they arrived in Luoyang, Dong Huang hosting a massive banquet in their honors and the Emperor appointing them to various high ranking military offices as reward for offering their help. Needless to say, none of the three men would ever hand back these offices once the campaign was over. While Li Tong made haste for the frontline, Cao Cao and Sun Jian lingered in the capital in order to build up political connections. Cao Cao found himself well received by Yan Biao and the former conspirators, who saw him as a hero who had tried to achieve their shared goal of killing Dong Zhuo. Since most of them were experts in intrigues and politics, they were quick to notice the ambition of Cao Cao, with Jiang Xian surprisingly suggesting that they use Cao Cao’s ambition to their advantage once the war was over. At the opposite, Sun Jian made friend with Dong Huang, correctly identifying that the Chancellor was desperately looking for allies at this point.

Duan Wei and Yao Xu were able to handle the rebels between June and August, at which point the three warlords arrived to link with them. With all these military minds together, they were easily able to build up a strategy to use against the Khan. While Yao Xu was technically the Grand Commandant, authority quickly fell to Cao Cao and Sun Jian, the former deciding the strategies and the later leading the armies on the field. The Khan was taken aback by this organized opposition that managed to rout him on multiple occasions. Li Tong, Sun Jian and Duan Wei were soon able to march toward the home of the Khan, and by the late months of 193, the Khan finally surrendered.

When they returned to Luoyang, they were all welcomed as heroes (with the exception of the barbarian Yao Xu). But while Dong Huang had pushed back these problems, it had also showed how weak the Han was under his leadership. Would the Xianbei have ever considered attacking if the right man had been in charge? Guo Si certainly noticed this, as did Lü Bu (although his attention was on another campaign of his). In the capital, players were already beginning to move. Jiang Xian approached Cao Cao and asked him if he was willing to return to the capital and take a position in the Imperial Court. While Cao Cao thanked him, he surprisingly refused. He didn’t want to abandon his powerbase for a position of weakness, especially after what he had just learn. As Sun Jian had been moving faster than him, convincing Dong Huang to arrange a betrothal between the Emperor and Sun Jian’s daughter. Being the father-in-law of the Emperor would give Sun Jian a lot of power, enough so that Cao Cao would feel constrained by this influence. So he left, just as did Sun Jian and Li Tong, leaving Dong Huan with allies plotting his demise and generals ready to rise up against him. Things were moving indeed…

_____

PS: Well, Happy New Year everyone! (for me it's 10PM so still count) Now it's time to leave 193 and 2020 behind and say hello to 2021 and 194! Here's what's probably coming for the next chapters (as always, subject to changes):

1. What has been happening in Pan Zheng's life during 193 and early 194 in Yi Province.
2. The first year of the Yang Revolt against Tao Shang
3. The climax of all the tensions and ploting seen in the last two chapters.
4. What Gongsun Zan has been doing since he took over Ji Province.
5. The game changing events in Yu and Yan Provinces.

 

[Zamarak500]

193-194: AT THE COURT OF LIU YAN​

Yi Province had finally been reunified thanks to the efforts of Governor Liu Yan and his Commandant Fan Min. Sadly, in January 193, shortly after the defeat of the last rebels, Fan Min’s health began to deteriorate, and the old man died a few days after returning home. His death was cried by his followers and his funerals were attended b y people from all over Yi Province. However, there were those that were left behind after his passing. This was for example the case of the Pan Clan, which was now without its beneficiary. Thankfully, Fan Min had thought of them in his last moments and had planned for this. He had recommendations written for them so they could enter the court of Governor Liu Yan.

Liu Yan couldn’t refuse the last demand of one of his most loyal generals, and so agreed to take in Fan Min’s courtiers. Of course, he didn’t really welcome them out of the goodness of his heart, unlike what he told everyone. He was instead hoping that at least one of them would prove to be competent and worthy of serving him. He would prove satisfied with a few of them, and was especially interested in Pan Zheng, this young scholar who had such knowledge of the ancient classics. For a man of such young age, Pan Zheng was leaving quite a first impression on his court and his scholars. In better times, this young talent would have had a place of choice among the scholars of the Imperial Capital. Liu Yan was quick to give him employ, to the joy of his father Pan Wei. Pan Zheng took the position as a scholar advisor with a shrug, happy as long as it allowed him to continue studying the classics.

But while Pan Zheng amazed Liu Yan and quickly took responsibilities at court (in good part due to the insistence of his father), this brought issues that caused many annoyances. There was first the obvious consequence of bringing such a young man into the provincial administration so fast: Jealousy. Many courtiers of the Governor weren’t too keen on this newcomer monopolizing attention. His unwillingness to help the career of others didn’t make him any friends either. Instead of playing the political game, Pan Zheng focused on himself and left the others in the dust. This caused problems that only stressed Liu Yan even more than usual, which he usually dealt with bursts of frustration. And then there was the young scholar deep hatred for barbarians. Thankfully, Liu Yan knew how to make it clear when he wanted a change of subject, after which Pan Zheng was all too happy to simply return to his studies.

The mounting stress due to the new arrivals led Liu Yan get more and more stressed about the current situation, and with good reasons. He had too much to manage and little help to do it. This led to his health getting worse with the days and Liu Yan eventually getting sick due to the amount of work he had to deal with. This was a perfect opportunity for the barbarian leader Meng Shamoke, a powerful Nanman chieftain in the center of the province. Meng Shamoke was actually quite happy as a simple chieftain under Liu Yan, but his son, Meng Huo (yes, that Meng Huo) convinced him that it was for the best to break free from the Han authorities. Heeding the advice of his son, Meng Shamoke began to assemble soldiers under his commands from the neighboring villages, rising up against Liu Yan in April 193.

While Meng Shamoke’s rebellion took everyone by surprise, it had two massive issues. As it turned out, clans’ rivalries among the chieftains and Nanman villages had left him with far less supporters than he had hoped, and certainly less than what Liu Yan and his court would come to believe. This was a big problem, but one that couldn’t equal the absence of his own son by his side as he marched against Liu Yan. Meng Huo had been one of the driving forces of the rebellion against Liu Yan and had hoped to be by his father’s side to help him defeat the enemies. But as it turned out, the barbarian had been sent away to another region of the province a month before his father rose up in rebellion. This decision hadn’t been motivated by a fear of revolt, but simply by a need to put a competent barbarian servant in charge of the county. By a total accident, the provincial administration had managed to sever Meng Shamoke from his main advisor, massively weakening his resolve and his ability to deal with Liu Yan’s eventual response.

Already stressed due to the growing rivalries and jealousies at court, the news of the revolt weighted heavily on Liu Yan. The governor immediately worked days and nights to prepare a response to this barbarian revolt, but it took a toll on his health, and soon he was sick in bed with difficulties to do his daily duties. This led him to fall into a depressed state, wondering why he wasn’t good enough to handle all these problems alone. Was he the wrong man for the job? His health and mental strain quickly started to become a problem at his court. His depressed state and the stressed he had to deal with led Liu Yan to have cases of intense mood swings, sometimes lashing cruelly at the people trying to advise him. Some people even found them sent to their death due to this, to the panic of his court. Already cruel and ruthless when he was at full health, an unstable Liu Yan made everyone afraid.

In his weakened state, he found Pan Zheng intransigence with the barbarians extremely annoying. Pan Zheng was insistent that Meng Shamoke and all his people be slaughtered, as they were lesser being akin to animals compared to the glorious Han Chineses. Now, other than the classical ancient racism of the 2nd Century Han Dynasty, Pan Zheng was also motivated by a deep hatred for the barbarian due to the way his brother had died six years before. The hopes of his family had previously been on his brother Pan Jian, but he sadly died fighting another barbarian rebellion in 187. He died fighting a barbarian revolt. Which Meng Shamoke had been a part of. In fact, Meng Shamoke had been the barbarian commander when Pan Jian died. So it was a personal vendetta that motivated Pan Zheng, even more than his general disdain for southern barbarians. Pan Zheng stubborn insistence to kill them all was rapidly getting on Liu Yan’s nerves, and had it not been for Pan Wei reining in his son, the governor might had genuinely considered killing him after Pan Zheng had insulted him in private.

Liu Yan decided to take command of the troops himself. “If I can’t deal with these barbarians myself, then what am I doing here?” he said, more for himself than for his court. So he took over the army he was assembling and marched against Meng Shamoke by the end of the year. By that time, Meng Shamoke had already succeeded in defeating small forces Liu Yan had first sent against him. While the revolt had been a strain on his mind, it hadn’t stop the governor from underestimating the revolt. But these small successes would be as far as Meng Shamoke would go. As soon as Liu Yan’s army arrived, the barbarian rebel found himself completely overwhelmed and defeated on multiple occasions. By the beginning of 194, he had been completely pushed back into his own territories and was on the defensive as Liu Yan was only a few months from victory.

During the absence of Liu Yan from court, Pan Zheng once again isolated himself from everyone to focus on his study of the ancient classics and the modern writings of his time. As always, he mostly focused on his studies, stubbornly ignoring other issues. This included his new wife, who he barely spent time with as she was just 13 years old at the time. He currently had no interest in that child his father had pushed him to marry. Fang Xia was thus left to her own affairs, her husband not bothering with her and her father too busy with his new role in the provincial administration to be there for her. She had no choice but to engage in court affairs all alone, as it was the only distraction she could find for herself.

Many young nobles who had taken issue to Pan Zheng’s rise had also noticed how his wife was not with him. Teenagers among them decided to use this opportunity to get back at the scholar by seducing his wife and bedding her, a plan that was sure to humiliate him throughout the court. However, they had failed to consider Fang Xia herself. They expected her to be a naïve young girl from the countryside who would be so impressed by them that she would easily fall for their charms. They would be proven completely wrong. As it turned out, Fang Xia was quite shrewd, understanding court affairs as well as her husband. She had no intention to be used by them to humiliate her husband. However, she did see this as an opportunity to get her husband to finally focus on her instead of his old books. She allowed herself to be courted by the young men, although she always kept them at bay by refusing their more serious advances.

Meanwhile, she often went to her husband, mentioning in passing these men approaching her and trying to seduce her. But this failed to produce the desired effect, as Pan Zheng simply told her to be patient and the suitors would get tired eventually. So she instead began to spread rumors about these suitors in hope that they would reach the ears of her father-in-law. Needless to say, Pan Wei was mightily annoyed by this and quickly told his son to deal with the issue so not to stain the honor of the family. Pan Zheng asked him why his father couldn’t do it, to which Pan Wei pointed out that it concerned his wife. So Pan Zheng, with Pan Wei’s support, sent an official complain to Liu Yan. Angry at this whole situation, Liu Yan actually had the suitors tortured for making a mess of his court in his absence. After this incident, no one tried to seduce Fang Xia again, and she got what she wanted, as Pan Zheng now felt obligated to pay more attention to her and what she wanted.

The war ended in May 194, when Meng Shamoke finally surrendered to the forces of Liu Yan. While he did have many of the rebellious barbarians tortured or executed, he surprisingly allowed Meng Shamoke and his close allies to go free. This was because Liu Yan believed that he was the only one who saw the big picture, who could see that this would lead to the barbarians rebelling even more. And besides, he didn’t need to execute Meng Shamoke to show his dominance. Most people applauded his decision of clemency, something that he might not have done had he been fully himself.

But Pan Zheng came forward and publicly criticized Liu Yan for not doing what had to be done and kill the beasts. This was a grave insult that the stressed out and depressed Liu Yan couldn’t ignore. But before he could order Pan Zheng to be quartered outside, Pan Wei stepped forward and hit his son, declaring that he had shamed the Pan Clan and telling him to leave the provincial capital at once. Pan Wei was furious at his son for disrespecting their lord, who had been kind enough to let them in his home. Pan Zheng was shocked, feeling betrayed by his own father. At the time, neither realized that this had saved Pan Zheng’s life, as Liu Yan would consider the affair dealt with and forget about Pan Zheng. The young scholar left the provincial capital by the end of May 194. His father-in-law, Fang Lingxin, who had been given a post of Magistrate in a county earlier that year, offered to welcome his daughter and son-in-law. Pan Zheng accepted the invitation, leaving for his new home with a feeling of shame and frustration.

 

[Zamarak500]

193-194: TWELVE MONTHS OF REVOLT​

When Liu He heard what his cousin had done, he was enraged. Liu Siyuan was supposed to come to the provincial capital to explain himself, to ensure that their position at court wasn’t endangered by the rise of the Mi brothers. This little setback would be dealt with and Liu He would continue to be the top advisor of Xu Province, ensuring his control over Tao Shang. Instead, his cousin had chosen to conspire with the traitors of Yang Province, taking the stupidest decision possible and by choosing to rebel against Tao Shang. Now, if his cousin had simply rebelled alone, Liu He might have been able to brush this aside. But conspiring with Chen Wen? This was a big hit to the Liu Clan in the province. And now he had to find a way to use this in order to stay in Tao Shang’s good graces.

Tao Shang was shocked when he learned that both Chen Wen and Liu Siyuan had rebelled. He was previously convinced that his attempts at unifying his subjects had been working. He was as good as his father, after all, if not better. Of course, he had been annoyed when he learned that Chen Wen was expanding without authorization, but at least during the campaigns he chose to let it slide due to the wealth from the pillaging during the war. Some had expressed worries, but Tao Shang had always told them that it was better to wait and see, that in due time Chen Wen would prove loyal. But now Chen Wen was going to go into a revolt because he didn’t want to give Jing Province to Tao Shang? But the province rightfully belonged the liege. Wasn’t it natural that he received the province?

And then there was Liu Siyuan. What an ungrateful man. He had allowed him on his personal council in an attempt to mitigate the dispute with Mi Fang. And this was how he rewarded him? First he refused to come on the campaign against the barbarians because he was sick, then he illegally seized Mi Fang’s territories and refused to give them back, and now this! Tao Shang felt insulted and humiliated by Liu Siyuan, who had just spat at his generosity. If only he had listened to Mi Fang and Mi Zhu earlier, maybe this could have been avoided…

To Tao Shang’s surprise, Liu He asked to be allowed to lead the troops against the rebels. Tao Shang and the Mi brothers had obvious worries about Liu He taking command. Could he really be trusted? After all, his cousin was one of the enemies. But Liu He insisted that he was the Commandant of Xu Province. His cousin didn’t matter when compared to his duties to his lord. Of course, Liu He wasn’t just motivated by loyalty, if at all. He hoped to turn his victory against the rebels in enough political capital to remove the Mi brothers. Tao Shang, who had always been able to rely on Liu He so far, agreed to the demand. Liu He took over the troops and marched against the rebels, but not before sending a letter to the barbarian tributaries asking them to come support his campaign.

Meanwhile, the rebels had not been idle. Yang Weili and Hu Zan had wasted no time bringing back Liu Siyuan to Hefei so that he could meet with Chen Wen. The Inspector of Yang Province was quick to welcome the general and reaffirm the promises made by his envoys. Liu Siyuan would be an equal in this war and would be allowed to go his own way following their victory. Chen Wen proved welcoming enough to convince Liu Siyuan that he had made the right choice, although he did find the man a bit too arrogant and certain of himself.

The presence of the scion of the Han was helpful, as Chen Wen was not exactly rebel leader material. Thankfully, he had surrounded himself with people that would fight this war far better than he ever could. There was of course his strategist and friend Yang Weili, always willing to help his lord. The newly arrived Hu Zan was also proving to be an essential asset, and he hoped to repay the kindness showed to him by helping win this war. He even appointed Su Dai, the first administrator to submit to him, as the general in charge of defending Hefei and the surrounding areas. The Inspector also tried to call upon the generals of Jing Province to come help him in an attempt at unity. Among the generals who came, the most notable was Huang Zu, an angry and headstrong general who didn’t like Chen Wen personally. Quite the group he had assembled around himself.

There was a quick strategic meeting once everyone had assembled in Hefei, as Yang Weili wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page on the issue. He hoped for a prudent and slow war, believing that with the resources of Jing Province they could win on the long run. Su Dai was quick to agree, and Hu Zan admitted that there was value in prudence. He had tried to play it fast during his attempted takeover of Qing Province and had failed. “If I had done as General Yang suggest, I might have been in charge of Qing as we speak.” he explained, ignoring the fact that his defeat had been due to his lack of troops and diseases in his camps. This comment, meant to convince everyone to get on board, actually riled up Huang Zu, who spat on the ground and proclaimed “You failed at your rebellion, General Hu. Let us make sure you do not fail ours.” Hu Zan took offense to this, but was smart enough to not get drawn into a dispute with Huang Zu, who continued by advocating a run to the provincial capital of Xu as fast as possible. You know, the exact tactic Hu Zan tried in his own revolt.

It was then that they received news of the barbarians. The previous year, Tao Shang had forced many of them to play tribute to him, and now he was calling upon them to help him in his time of need. Hearing this, Liu Siyuan quickly stood up from the table and declared that he would take his men (and as much as Chen Wen was willing to give) to go intercept the barbarians and stop them from joining force with Tao Shang. Su Dai told him that it might be a good idea to wait, but Liu Siyuan pointed out his success would mean one less problem for Su Dai to deal with, which the administrator was perfectly fine with. Chen Wen was moved by Liu Siyuan’s passion and gave him a few hundred men to had to his own. Yang Weili acquiesced to his lord’s orders, being too lazy to try to get in the way of Liu Siyuan’s desires. His opinion on the subject changed when Chen Wen declared that he wanted them to launch an all out offensive against Xu Province instead of adopting the defensive posture he suggested. Yang Weili quickly tried to convince Liu Siyuan to stay. If this was an offensive, all men would count. But Liu Siyuan bluntly answered “I am not your subordinate.”

Liu Siyuan thus left with the troops given to him by Chen Wen and joined with his own troops, commanded by his personal strategist., Jiang Gong. Jiang Gong had been preparing the troops in his lord’s absence and was marching them toward Hefei when he weas told to instead link up on their way to fight the barbarians. Once linked, they had around 800 troops at their disposal. Jiang Gong, while completely loyal to his lord, did question the wisdom of abandoning the main force. Liu Siyuan explained that he had no desire to stay away permanently. He simply believed that the barbarians were a threat that had to be defeated first. Jiang Gong nodded in agreement, although he couldn’t help but notice how happy his lord seemed to finally have large war to fight. He was a passionate fighter, after all, and this would be his first battle against barbarians.

They finally found the barbarians in November. The barbarians were attacking the city of Lujiang right in the middle of their ransacking of the city. While the barbarians were more numerous, they were also less organized than Liu Siyuan’s army. He was quick to order an attack, heroically leading it as he slayed one barbarian after the other. Panicked to see this army charge into them as they were occupied pillaging, the barbarians were quick to flee and disperse. The battle was a bloody affair, fought in the streets of Lujiang, often with little space to manoeuvre or escape. Following the victory, Liu Siyuan was hailed as a hero by the locals, who threw a feast for him and his men. He enjoyed the celebration, but wished to pursue the barbarians even more to make sure they wouldn’t return as a threat later on. His plans were foiled by a messenger from the main army. To his surprise, Yang Weili had been progressing far faster than he had anticipated. Stuck with the choice of staying away or linking up with the main force, Liu Siyuan fatefully chose the later, taking the first of two decisions that would have disastrous consequences on the war.

Yes, Yang Weili had been progressing faster than anyone could have expected. However, this advance had been done against his will by one of the two generals seconding him. If Liu Siyuan could be considered obstinate, Huang Zu was proving to be bullheaded and unruly when it came to following Yang Weili’s orders. Huang Zu barely wanted for his commander to charge with a fourth of the army, abandoning Yang Weili and Hu Zan behind. Unwilling to let him have all the glory, Hu Zan was quick to force the pace of his troops to follow, which left the supply line disorganized and stretched far more than what had been planned before their departure. Yang Weili, instead of putting the work to rein in his two commanders AND ensure good supply, simply focused on having his troops ready for the worst. Logistics were already ruined, so why bother to fix the unfixable?

In Hefei, Chen Wen was ecstatic when he learned of Liu Siyuan’s victory. Emboldened by the news, he decided that he should go take part in the glory and lead troops himself. He already dreamed of leading brutal charges in his terrified enemies. Few of those left in the provincial capital were happy with this idea. Su Dai tried his best to plead to his lord that it was probably not the best idea to go. Better leave the generals do their own things. Chen Wen saw it as if Su Dai was saying that he wasn’t competent enough to lead troops and latched as his defence commanders. Thankfully, Lu Jun was also here to ensure that Chen Wen wouldn’t do anything stupid. Yes, Lu Jun had been opposed to the revolt since the beginning, but now that it was ongoing, he wanted to make sure that things wouldn’t go bad for himself and the province. And having the Inspector die on the battlefield was a worst-case scenario. He was blunt in reminding Chen Wen that his place was in Hefei, inspiring the troops from behind. After a few days of reminding this to him, Lu Jun was able to convince Chen Wen to stay back.

By the time Liu Siyuan finally reached with the rest of the army, he found a good part of them tired from the hard march toward Xu Province, no thanks to Huang Zu. It was April 194 and they were inside Tao Shang’s territories, yes, but the most soldiers were in no shape to fight. When he demanded an explanation of what was happening, he was actually told that Yang Weili had no arrived, and that he was in fact lagging behind by three days. He could indeed notice the tired soldiers arriving in camp every few hours. When he asked Hu Zan how this could have happened, the younger general was quick to spin this so to free himself from all blame. Instead, he put it solely at Huang Zu’s feet.

There was also one issue that couldn’t wait Yang Weili’s arrival. Liu He had installed his troops next to the town of Touzhong, the only town laying between their complete access to Xu Province. His army was currently larger than theirs, and without Yang Weili’s troops who had yet to fully arrive, Hu Zan doubted that they would be able to come out on top, or at least not without turning it into a pyrrhic victory. So he instead suggested that they open talks with Liu He in order to gain time. Huang Zu was opposed to this lowly tactic, which he called cowardly. But Liu Siyuan was convinced when Hu Zan appealed to his sense of duty to his Clan. If there was something Liu Siyuan cared as much as fighting, it was his Clan. He was convinced that maybe Liu he could be talked down, so that cousins wouldn’t have to fight. So both sides agreed to meet on neutral ground, somewhere inside Touzhong. The discussions between cousins went nowhere, though, as Liu He berated Liu Siyuan for siding with traitors against his lord, to which Liu Siyuan could only answer that it was the best path to help the Han Dynasty on the long run.

The only thing this accomplished was allowing Yang Weili to arrive with the rest of the troops. Realizing that this was the reason of the talks, Liu he was quick to launch an attack against the rebels. With Yang Weili’s troops still tired, the rebels found themselves in a difficult situation. Thankfully, their commanders had the talent to take them out of this difficult situation. Huang Zu and Liu Siyuan were surprisingly aggressive, taking Liu He’s force aback as they expected the rebels to go on the defensive. Meanwhile, Hu Zan proudly commanded the troops as Yang Weili tried to ensure that the stretched supply line wasn’t attacked. Liu Siyuan and Huang Zu both tried to make their way to Liu He, although only the former managed to reach his cousin. The old man ordered his bodyguards to protect him, but Liu Siyuan was quick to dispatch them, although with some efforts. Liu He’s horse panicked and threw him to the ground. As he got up with difficulties, he could see his cousin with his spear raised. But the warrior hesitated, and in the end, raised it down. “Go.” he told Liu He. “How ashamed our imperial ancestors would be if they saw us killing each other.”

Allowing Liu He to leave out of familial ties would prove to be Liu Siyuan’s second great mistake, as it allowed the Commandant to return to his camps and reorganize his weakened troops for the following day. The battle thus continued for five days, five days during which everyone was too focused on Liu He to spend time on scouts reports or the likes. Yang Weili certainly had other things to do, and the rest were too focused on glory or fighting to concentrate on such secondary affairs. So everyone was shocked when on the seventh day of battle barbarian tributaries arrived to reinforce Liu He. It turned out that their defeat at the hand of Liu Siyuan had only been temporary. This led to rebel defeat as the various generals failed to coordinate a coherent response to the barbarians’ arrival. Instead of pressing his advantage, Liu He chose to allow them to escape the battlefield. He didn’t want to let the rebel win too soon, after all. That would undermine his value to Tao Shang. No, he needed to be as indispensable as possible for as long as possible.

But one officer was suspicious of Liu He’s decision to let the rebels go, and so sent a secret missive to Tao Shang’s court to tell him of what had transpired. He quickly consulted the Mi brothers, who were just as quick to suspect Liu He of collusion with the rebels. Why else would Liu Siyuan spare him, after all? The fact that his cousin was one of the main rebels was already putting Liu he in a bad light. Now he had allowed them to escape so to fight another day. Mi Fang was quick to say that while Liu he had years of service under Tao Shang and his father Tao Qian, these actions could simply not be tolerated. Since the start of the rebellion, Mi Fang had become Tao Shang’s right-hand man, even receiving command of the Langye Commandery. So when he said that they should watch out for Liu He, Tao Shang listened.

They were given more reason to believe Liu He’s supposed treason only a month later. The rebels had retreated back into Yang Province, with Liu He closely behind. Once again, he was able to engage them in late May, and once again he was able to defeat them, in part due to disputes over who had to take the blame for the previous defeat. Huang Zu had the balls to put it all on Liu Siyuan. Feeling slighted, tensions grew up between the scion and the headstrong general, which hindered the strategy Yang Weili had worked out for the battle. But once again, Liu He allowed the rebels to leave, wishing to prolong the rebellion for his own advantage. He even executed an officer who disobeyed his order and launch a charge which succeeded in capturing one of the main officers of the rebel army.

When Tao Shang heard of this missed opportunity, he had Liu He recalled to court in June. This put a stop to his advance, which gave some breathing room to the rebels. When he arrived, Liu He was charged with treasons and conspiring with the rebels. Shocked at this, he tried to maneuver his way out of this by blaming it on the nasty influence of the Mi brothers. But Mi Fang was convinced of Liu He’s guilt by that point and made sure that he would no longer be a threat to Tao Shang. In July 194, a full year after Chen Wen went into revolt, Liu he was executed on Tao Shang’s orders, with Mi Fang replacing him as Commandant of Xu Province and leader of the troops fighting the rebellion. When news of this reached Liu Siyuan, he had his troops put mourning clothes and had a funeral for his cousin, a controversial call as it was for an enemy of their rebellion. Clothed in white, on his knees in front of the funerary tablets and tears in his eyes, Liu Siyuan made an oath to his cousin: “I shall avenge your death, He. I shall do what should have been done last year. I shall slay Mi Fang myself so that your honor be restored.”

 

[Zamarak500]

194: THE LEGACY OF DONG ZHUO​

The recent barbarian revolts and the attack from a Xianbei Khan had proved that Dong Huang’s time in power had been nothing but a failure. Guo Si was certainly one to say so. Dong Zhuo would not have even allow the idea of invasion to form in the mind of a Khan. Not only had Dong Huang proved to be unable to prevent such crisis, but he had also failed to handle it alone, having to rely on rogue generals like Cao Cao or Sun Jian. No, Dong Huang was a failure, one that did not deserve his loyalty. Of course, Guo Si made sure not to mention that he had been the one under attack and the one who called Dong Huang for help in the first place. He instead focused on the opportunity that the Chancellor’s weakened position provided him. Now he could finally break with Luoyang and go his own way. After all, he had Dong Zhuo’s old powerbase, most of his generals and some of his elite troops. Meanwhile, what did Dong Huang had? Duan Wei, the idiot in charge of supply? Dong Zhuo’s murderers? And he claimed to be his uncle’s heir…

Of course, when he rose in revolt to free himself from Dong Huang in January 194, Guo Si fully realized that he needed Lü Bu’s support. This annoyed him to no end, but he knew that the forces of Liang Province might not be enough. He was quick to send envoys to Lü Bu demanding him to join him in freeing themselves from Dong Huang’s hold and restore the name of Dong Zhuo. The envoys found Lü Bu far less receptive than they had hoped. As it turned out, the northern warlord had just started a campaign to destroy the Black Mountain Bandits of Zhang Yang. While Lü Bu did want to free himself from the influence of Luoyang, he found the timing terrible, and selfish as he was, favored his own campaign over this revolt. He was also annoyed by the emphasis on Dong Zhuo in Guo Si’s rhetoric. Lü Bu was his adopted son, his sole heir. What more was there to say about it? But Guo Si’s propaganda positioned him as the heir of Dong Zhuo’s legacy against Dong Huang, with many mentions of that bastard son Dong Zhuo had with a maid. A bastard who through the adoption of his mother found himself Guo Si’s grandson.

Lü Bu was thus not really motivated to help his “ally”. If there was going to be a revolt, he was going to be the one gloriously leading it, not Guo Si. But to his surprise his Commandant Xu Rong stepped forward to argue against abandoning Guo Si. Unlike Lü Bu, Xu Rong felt a strong sense of camaraderie and loyalty to the cause. He felt proud to call himself one of Dong Zhuo’s generals, and now he thought this was the perfect way to avenge their former lord by defeating Dong Huang’s forces, together. As his son, was it not Lü Bu’s filial duties to fight against the murderers of Dong Zhuo? Xu Rong advocated that Lü Bu abandoned the campaign against the bandits and sent his full forces to Guo Si. Lü Bu was annoyed by this, but had to admit that freedom from Dong Huang’s nominal authority would be nice. Still, he refused to abandon his personal campaign. Instead he told Xu Rong “Go fight this war if you care so much for it.”, sending the Commandant with a few thousand troops while he focused on the Black Mountain Bandits. So Guo Si would have his support at the cost of a rift between Lü Bu and his Commandant. And in the shadow to see it all was Xuan Su, all too ready to exploit that rift to his advantage.

News of Guo Si’s revolt only a month after the Khan’s defeat was not welcomed in Luoyang. Dong Huang now realized the dire situation that he was in. His authority, which was already challenged in the capital by Yang Biao’s clique, was now denied by his uncle’s generals. His first reaction was one of panic and fear. How long until Guo Si was outside the walls of Luoyang? Should he simply surrender? Or maybe the warlord would allow him to keep some power if he, maybe, gave him the Emperor? The Emperor was at least worth sparing his life, right? His eunuch advisor Sui Boneng was quick to bring some sense back into him. The eunuch insisted that he needed to fight for his position. After all, he still had the imperial army and the Emperor. He was the one in the right. No, as Chancellor, he had all the tools to crush this rebellion and claim sole control of Dong Zhuo’s legacy.

This was enough to motivate Dong Huang to actually fight this civil war. He ordered the imperial army assembled and sent it to go fight for him (and for the Emperor, of course). But Dong Huang found himself with a difficult choice in term of who he could appoint to command these troops. His barbarian Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies Yao Xu was on his way to his personal estates north when the revolt started and so was out of reach at the immediate moment. Niu Fu, as loyal as always to the Han Dynasty, came forward and offered his services to the Chancellor in his fight against the rebels. But Dong Huang saw this not as loyalty but ambition and grew warry of him. Already many looked at Niu Fu as a potential replacement for him. Giving him a chance to prove himself in the campaign would be idiotic, even dangerous. Afraid of what it might lead to, Dong Huang refused to give Niu Fu a command, to the officer’s disappointment.

Instead, he appointed the old and grumpy Wang Hong, who had helped the conspiracy against his uncle and had participated in the campaign against the White Wave Bandits. The man had no tact and little friends, which made him far less worrying as potential political rival. It also helped that Wang Hong had no love for Dong Zhuo and his officers, so he was motivated to win this war. At his side was Duan Wei, a former general of Dong Zhuo and a hero of the campaign against the White Wave Bandits. Now, sending him was risky, even if Dong Huang considered him one of his men. Thankfully, the Chancellor believed that Wang Hong’s presence would stop him from having any ideas. In order to ensure the old man’s authority, he even appointed him General who Protects the Empire, making it clear who led this campaign. Sadly, this safe dynamic was destroyed when the old Wang Hong dropped dead in February, a month after Guo Si rose in revolt.

This put a stop to the march of the imperial army as Duan Wei wisely decided to wait for orders instead of unilaterally taking over command. Dong Huang was quick to respond, ordering his barbarian Yao Xu to go take command of the troops as fast as possible. Dong Huang hoped that this would allow him to keep a firm grim on the troops and the war. But as soon as he arrived, Yao Xu realized that this would not be so. The troops had coalesced around Duan Wei, who had easily secured their loyalty due to his hard work during his time as supply officer or during the campaign against the White Wave Bandits. While he played the card of humility when with Yao Xu, the barbarian was no dummy. No one would listen to a barbarian over their hero Duan Wei. Out of survival instinct, Yao Xu quickly began to defer to his “subordinate” on almost everything. This included, to Dong Huang’s horror, the demand that Niu Fu be given a command in the army. Resigning himself, Dong Huang accepted and allowed Niu Fu to go.

Guo Si also had problems in his camp, although in his case it was mostly his fault. The duties of ruling Liang Province had bored him so much that he had turned to alcohol as a way to pass time. Needless to say, it wasn’t a great move to have an alcoholic leading the troops, no matter how good of a general he was. Hu Zhen tried his best to keep his lord off the bottle, but this only soured Guo Si’s mood, which was more often than not explosive. So many started to follow Hu Zhen’s lead when the older general began to double check orders and refer them to Guo Si’s son-in-law Yao Shuren. It was all but official that the younger man was now Guo Si’s heir and right-hand man, which gave him more leeway to give orders to the other generals without passing through Guo Si, only having them confirmed by the drunk warlord afterward. So instead of having Guo Si against Yao Xu, it was turning out to be Yao Shuren against Duan Wei. Only one officer, Jin Xuan, stayed true and completely loyal to Guo Si, trying his best to regain the favors he had lost following his debacle during the war with Ma Teng. But all it did was put Yao Shuren on notice that Jin Xuan couldn’t be counted on.

Yao Shuren certainly enjoyed more freedom and power than the other officials, yes, but he still found himself under the command of Guo Si. Sadly, his main tool to maneuver his father-in-law wasn’t present for the campaign. His wife Guo Yuyi, so useful to his career, had been forced to stay behind as she had just given birth to their daughter Yao Ki and needed to rest. This left Yao Shuren with far less ability to do what he wanted. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but with the drunken Guo Si leading the troops, he found himself hindered at times, to his annoyance. But he was smart enough to play it wisely. And to this was added the presence of Xu Rong and his troops. While he was happy to put himself under the command of Guo Si or Yao Shuren, orders from Lü Bu made it clear that their troops were separate. So now the rebel army, while far more numerous, had to deal with conflicting orders from the various generals.

By April, the two armies were close to one another, many predicting a direct confrontation at any point now. Instead, Yao Shuren and Duan Wei began to fight a long war of position that stretched for months, trying to anticipate the movements of the other and plan accordingly. Yao Shuren first hoped to find a way to hit the supply line of the imperial army to leave it defenceless. But Duan Wei had learned from his time as supply officer and always ensure that it remained tight and well guarded, never leaving an opportunity for Yao Shuren to strike. However, in order to keep a defensive position that wouldn’t allow the rebels to flank him, Duan Wei was forced to abandon some cities to the rebel advance. When he heard of this, Dong Huang feared that Duan Wei was conspiring with the enemy. He wished to have the general recalled, but his advisors convinced him that this would be a hit to moral and the current strategies in place.

This slow-paced warfare did not sit well with Guo Si, who wanted a strong and destructive offensive against the imperial army. Against the advice of Hu Zhen and Yao Shuren, he decided that he would lead a small force to attack and test the defence positions of Duan Wei. Yao Shuren wished to stop him, but Guo Si was drunk when he made that decision, so it was better to stay out of his way and deal with the consequences. Guo Si took 800 troops and attacked the less defended city of Kuili. His break with the current strategy took the defenders by surprise, and after a week of siege and battles the city surrendered and opened its gate to Guo Si. When Duan Wei learned of this, he was quick to order Niu Fu to go retake the city, afraid that the rebels would use the city as a launching point for any new offensive. Niu Fu was able to successfully push back Guo Si. Unwilling to let such thing happen again, Duan Wei quickly turned Kuili into his headquarters.

Xuan Su had no been idle in Xu Rong’s absence from Lü Bu’s side. While they were all campaigning against the Black Mountain Bandits, Xuan Su had made sure to spread lies about Xu Rong, lies that soon made it to Lü Bu’s ears. The warlord was already pissed at his Commandant for insisting on helping Guo Si, so it wasn’t hard to convince him that things were not right. Xuan Su began to bring “proofs” of Xu Rong secret correspondence with Guo Si, hinting that the two had been working together. He then brought forward the theory that Xu Rong planned to join up with Guo Si to take Bing Province for themselves once the war was over. Not wanting to take any chance, Lü Bu sent an order to the army that Xu Rong be executed. But Xuan Su wasn’t done yet. In order to avoid Xu Rong actually joining up force with Guo Si, he sent the warlord information about Xu Rong’s “plan” to betray him too for the Imperial Army. Xu Rong, who was alerted to this plot against him, found himself with little choice but to cross the line, abandoning his troops to go seek refuge under Duan Wei, who welcomed him with open arms.

Eventually, in September 193, the two armies finally faced at the town of Kuili, the same place Guo Si had launched a small offensive a few months back. The armies were roughly the same size as Lü Bu had recalled some of his troops just before the battle to assist in his own campaign, to Guo Si’s annoyance. Yao Shuren was able to fill some of this void by hiring barbarians to help, but this only left them with a small numerical advantage. Duan Wei had also adopted a decent defensive position previous to the engagement, which made the task more difficult for the rebels. Yet in the end, the imperial army was crushed in a decisive victory. While Guo Si had been the one technically in charge, everyone would agree that the Battle of Kuili was Yao Shuren’s victory. His strategies and decisive orders during the battle resulted in half the casualties for his men than what he inflicted to the imperial forces. In this victory, he made a name for himself throughout China, with people now aware of this young strategist in the North-West.

Duan Wei and the other generals failed to reorganize efficiently after the battle as Guo Si order a march toward Luoyang. The Court was in panic, with many abandoning ship and fleeing the Capital in fear of the incoming rebel army. Dong Huang wanted to flee, and some of his advisors even suggested that he took the Emperor with him. Maybe this Gongsun Zan fellow would be willing to house the imperial government? He was heavily criticized by most of the former conspirators and their ilk for suggesting such course of action. Abandoning the Imperial Capital was simply out of question for them. How could Dong Huang even consider it? But in the end, it was one of the former conspirators that came to the Chancellor and offered him a way out. Jiang Xian secretly met with the Chancellor and his eunuch to tell them that they didn’t have to panic. To save the capital, they simply had to agree to Guo Si’s demands and let the two warlords go.

While suspicious of the giant’s desire to help him, Dong Huang agreed that this was the best solution and officially recognized Guo Si and Lü Bu’s independence from Luoyang. Guo Si was happy about the result and turned right back for Liang Province. Yao Shuren was a lot less enthusiastic about this, as he believed they might have been able to get more out of this had they continued. With some luck, they might have even seized the Capital and the Emperor for themselves. But those were a lot of what ifs. And besides, such actions would immediately lead to a conflict with Lü Bu and draw the ire of other warlords. So he returned home to Liang Province. Lü Bu’s troops returned to Bing to help in his current campaign, where Xuan Su had finally achieved the place at Lü Bu’s side he had been aiming for now that Xu Rong was gone. As for Lü Bu, he could now enjoy true autonomy. But in the corridors of Court, Jiang Xian met with Yang Biao and Shisun Rui, telling them how horrible Dong Huang had been to accept such dishonorable peace. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to rectify the mistake they had made by giving him the Chancellorship…

 

[Zamarak500]

192-194: GONGSUN ZAN CONSOLIDATES​

Gongsun Zan was now in control of Ji Province, or at least most of it. More importantly, he now had the Governor’s seal, which granted him authority over the province. Soon after his takeover, he hasted to go meet with Tan Weiping, the Commandant who had commanded the armies when he tried to invade, first with Yuan Shao and then when he attempted it alone. He quickly realized that he needed the old man’s support if he wanted to have some legitimacy in the province. Thankfully, Tan Weiping proved far more accommodating than expected. The old man understood that his former lord had surrendered and that Gongsun Zan was now in charge. With the Xiongnus on their border, it was stupid to try to start another power struggle over this done deal. So Tan Weiping agreed as long as he was still allowed to command troops and that he was allowed into Gongsun Zan’s officer corps. The warlord agreed, thus securing the province. On the advice of Tan Weiping, he moved into the city of Anping and made it his capital, as it was closer to the center of the province and closer to the action.

Tan Weiping insisted that the Xiongnus would eventually prove a problem again, so he advised Gongsun Zan to let him garrison the border. While Gongsun Zan agreed that this was the prudent move to make, he still had suspicions about Tan Weiping. So he sent his cousin and trusted advisor Gongsun Yue to observe and make sure that the old man wasn’t secretly plotting an uprising against his new liege. Gongsun Yue began to snoop around as soon as he arrived, always asking what Tan Weiping was doing and demanding details on every order the old general made. While not arrogant in any way, Gongsun Yue wasn’t exactly subtle either, and Tan Weiping was no idiot. He quickly realized why Gongsun Zan had sent his cousin to the border. While he welcomed Gongsun Yue’s presence in public out of respect for the orders of Gongsun Zan, he also sent private letters to the new Governor asking him what was the point of putting him under scrutiny like that. All it did was hinder his work. Realizing that Tan Weiping was right, Gongsun Zan would recall his cousin to his provincial capital a few weeks later, instead giving him command of its defence.

That is when he received news from the border that an army was passing through his lands. The reports told of a force of two thousand men coming back from Bing Province, probably following the Campaign against the White Wave Bandits ordered by the Emperor. Prudent and not willing to get into a fight he didn’t need to, Gongsun Zan demanded more information on this army. It took a few days, but he was finally informed that it was Liu Bei’s force. This was a relief, as Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei were old friends who were taught together under the same man. He was quick to send envoys to Liu Bei, inviting him to Anping with his army, even offering to resupply him if necessary. Liu Bei humbly accepted the invitation, although his brothers scoffed at what they perceived as Gongsun Zan’s arrogance.

Liu Bei was welcomed with great celebrations when he entered the city, something he would later criticize Gongsun Zan for, as he didn’t feel like he deserved such welcome. The scion of the Han was welcomed by Zhao Yun, who was immediately impressed by Liu Bei’s righteousness and his care for his men. The two had a little discussion about Liu Bei’s goals as Zhao Yun led him to the main hall, where Gongsun Zan was waiting for them with a banquet. The banquet seemed to have been the right move, as Zhang Fei immediately jumped on the beer and food, not even letting Gongsun Zan properly greet them first. A simple man, Gongsun Zan told himself, but one that could probably kill a thousand men by himself.

Discussions were friendly, although Zhang Fei and Guan Yu did not participate much, leaving Liu Bei to do the talking. Zhang Fei spend most of the time asking for more alcohol or agreeing with Liu Bei with loud and strong “Yes, Yes! First Brother is right!” which were usually followed by the loud sound of his fist hitting the table. The giant Guan Yu was a lot calmer, simply looking at Gongsun Zan and acting as an intimidating presence. This might have worked had Liu Bei not mentioned that his second brother was sick. Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei spent most of the day reminiscing about their youth and their lives, catching up with one another. It was, all and all, a nice meal between friends.

The following day, the two friends had a second meeting, a serious and important one this time. While Gongsun Zan would have preferred to talk with his friend in private, Liu Bei insisted that his brothers be present. The Governor was quick to ask Liu Bei what he thought of the state of Han Dynasty. Liu Bei had a lot to say about it, especially when Gongsun Zan asked what he saw in Luoyang.

“People who should serve the Son of Heaven instead wage wars against each other, and in the Court, sycophants plot to gain more power at the expanse of the Dynasty.”

“Is there no good men left in the capital?” Gongsun Zan asked.

“All weaklings and idiots!” Zhang Fei intervened, cutting off his brother before he could answer.

“There were a few, but in order to stay ahead they still try to outcorrupt their rivals.” he admitted with some chagrin. “Some even tried to convince me to join them.”

“You did good by refusing their offers.” Gongsun Zan complimented him. “Nothing good can come from going to the capital.”

Liu Bei nodded, agreeing on this point at least.

“I swore to save the Emperor and help reunify the Dynasty, but it will be an arduous task.” he admitted.

This admission clearly hurt the moral of his companions, who were normally far more boastful. It seemed that their time in the capital did not give them much hope. Good, this would make his proposition easier to swallow. Gongsun Zan gulped his drink before finally saying:

“Then join me, old friend! I am in need of people like you, righteous men willing to fight for what is right!”

“And submit to you? Bah!” Zhang Fei spat.

“I am not sure this is the right path for us.” Liu Bei told him.

“But we share the same goal! Old friend, we both want to protect the people and help the Emperor!”

“It is not that I don’t trust you, General. But aren’t you own ambitions at odds with our goals?”

“I will not hide my desire to be remembered by future generations.” Gongsun Zan admitted. “But I wish to be remembered as a restorer, not a usurper.”

These words made Liu Bei think, and for the next few days he hesitated. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei weren’t impressed by the offer, so Gongsun Zan decided to show them the kind of troops he had at his disposal. Seeing the armies he could field, their ambitions and desire for glorious victories were awakened, and soon enough the two were a lot friendlier to the idea of at least temporarily staying under the Governor. But it was news that arrived late that month that finished to convince them. Tan Weiping had sent a report that the Xiongnus were attacking once more. While the defenses of the old general were enough to keep them at bay for the time being, the province was still in danger. When he learned of this, Gongsun Zan turned to Liu Bei and asked “Will you not help me defend the common folks? Will you not help me bring back peace to the realm?” Taking the night to think about it, Liu Bei finally agreed to join Gongsun Zan in early December 192, submitting himself and his territories to him. Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were all given commands in Gongsun Zan’s army.

The small Xiongnu raids would not prove to be the main priority of Gongsun Zan, however. With his friend having submitted to his authority, he now had to deal with the one man that refused to do so. When Gongsun Zan took over Ji Province, a magistrate of the name of Zhang Ji refused to recognize him as his rightful ruler. Zhang Ji was a simple man who enjoyed a quiet life, and he saw Gongsun Zan’s arrival as nothing but troubles. He didn’t want to have an ambitious warlord as his liege. No, all Zhang Ji wanted was to be left alone. Gongsun Zan first tried diplomacy, hoping to convince the man to join him peacefully by offering him a more prestigious position, but Zhang Ji didn’t budge. He had no higher ambition by which he could be bought. But Gongsun Zan continued to send envoys, convinced that there had to be something that could convince him to submit.

Angered by these continuous attempts, Zhang Ji made the faux pas of executing one of the delegations in December 192. Realizing that he had just given Gongsun Zan the excuse to attack him, Zhang Ji chose to move first, sending his generals to attack a small force trying to get to the Xiongnu border. The battle was a success for Zhang Ji, but another political blunder on his part. Now having been doubly attacked, Gongsun Zan readied his troops for a campaign against Zhang Ji, giving command of the army to his trusted assistant Zhao Yun. Gongsun Zan feared that he would look like the villain in this situation, so appointing such righteous man or the job was a smart move on his part. Zhao Yun reined in the troops and ensured that they protected the people against Zhang Ji’s far less disciplined soldiers. With his superior army, the younger general was able to defeat the army of Zhang Ji easily and push him back into his county. By August 193, Zhang Ji finally surrendered, seeing no point in continuing the fight. Gongsun Zan decided to be magnanimous and allowed his defeated foe to remain in his post.

Another reason why Gongsun Yan had given Zhao Yun command instead of leading the troops himself was because he had started a correspondence with another warlord he hoped to sway to his side. This time his sight was turned toward the arrogant Yuan Tan, eldest son of his former ally Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao had died in early 193, and after a power struggle between his sons, Yuan Tan had managed to sideline his brothers and secure his control of Bohai Commandery. Gongsun Zan began to send him letters in an attempt to convince him to reintegrate Ji Province. The issue was that Yuan Tan was self-centered, arrogant, short-tempered and far too ambitious for his own good. These traits weren’t helped by the fact that he was an excellent general.

So Yuan Tan’s answer was not one of submission. The warlord demanded that Gongsun Zan instead comply with the deal he had made with his father to split Ji Province between themselves, with Yuan Tan taking what should have gone to his father. Gongsun Zan had no plan to respect this deal whatsoever. For him, the deal fell through when Yuan Shao surrendered and got out of the war. And now that he had won the province by himself, he was supposed to let this idiot’s son take half of it? No, this was unacceptable, and he made it clear in his following letter. This might have caused a breakup of the negotiations had Gongsun Zan not been smart enough to include that he was open to all other demand. Taking him to his words, Yuan Tan demanded that he be made Commandant of Ji Province and be treated like an equal by Gongsun Zan, in exchange of which he would recognize his authority. Gongsun Zan grudgingly agreed at the end of 193, as he didn’t want to gain an new enemy while he had to deal with the Xiongnus. So Yuan Tan joined Ji Province, although the whole “equal” part of the deal would begin to be ignored by Gongsun Zan once the threat of the Xiongnus be dealt with, something Yuan Tan would make him pay in due time.

Hearing that he had been replaced as Commandant by the brash Yuan Tan, Tan Weiping decided in early 194 to diminish the defenses on the borders so to make himself essential. The Xiongnus took advantage of this and flooded into the province, believing they were about to conquer most of Ji Province. Instead, they found themselves at the mercy of Gongsun Zan and his talented officers. While he led the troops personally, Gongsun Zan had all his great officers leading troops in this campaign. Zhao Yun, Gongsun Yue, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Tan Weiping, Yuan Tan… This much talent would prove too much to handle for the young Khagan. Zhang Fei would be especially efficient during this campaign, and Gongsun Zan would start to appreciate him as a good attack dog. By the end of 194, not only had the Xiongnus been pushed back, but their territories had been conquered by Gongsun Zan, finally securing his position as the master of Ji Province.

 

[Zamarak500]

193-194: IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE​

Liu Dai had received the demand of help from Luo Jun just in time. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to expand himself and to finally remove a neighbouring rival. If he took over Yu Province, he would establish himself as the strongest power of the Central Plain. Maybe this would even lead him to take Luoyang and establish himself as the savior of the Han? Who knew? But at the very least, this campaign would allow him to distract himself from his debilitating wounds he had received during his attempted conquest of Qing Province. But as he marched south news that Luo Jun had already been defeated by Liu Chong. This left Liu Dai in a bind, as he had to chose between going back and risking the wrath of his generals or continuing without allies. After asserting that he probably had more troops than Liu Chong, Liu Dai decided to continue forward with his plans.

Liu Chong was not amused at the news of this invasion. He had just dealt with a problematic vassal and now had to act against a cousin attacking him. What was he even thinking? They should all work together to help stabilize the Dynasty, not fight among themselves! Liu Chong had done such a good job keeping his province out of the current power struggles, only to be brought right in the middle of it by a member of his extended family. But all he could do was grumble at how low the Liu Clan had fallen over the years. He quickly ordered his troops assembled and prepared himself to lead them against the invaders. As the troops assembled, however, he was warned that Liu Dai had more troops than he did, forcing him to play it on the defensive. Now he had no choice but to play cat and mouse, with himself as the mouse.

But he needed someone to administrate the daily affairs while he was out of the provincial capital. For this, he turned to a man he had previously been hesitant to use. Xiao Ru had proven to be useful and motivated to serve him in the best of his capacities, especially during the events during and leading to the revolt of Luo Jun. Yes, he was probably motivated by self serving ambition, but he was also following the law, up to its cruel letter. Xiao Ru, who had only recently received a city to govern, soon found himself quickly promoted again, to his great joy. Liu Chong first gave him a position as a clerk in the provincial capital before appointing him as his main administrative advisor. Seeing that Xiao Ru could handle the job, he made the tremendous decision of appointing him as his regent in his absence. Many complained that he wasn’t high ranked enough for the job, so Liu Chong appointed the regent Administrator of Chen Commandery, shutting everyone up.

Of course, Liu Chong wasn’t as trusting of Xiao Ru as it might seems. He was fully aware that he was giving powers to a man that had previously been accused of murdering a rival in cold blood. So he had a small administrator “help” Xiao Ru in his duties. Xu Shao, the Magistrate of Xinpingchen, was an exceptionally talented man. A great administrator, diplomat and scholar, Liu Chong had actually approached him first for the position of regent. Paranoid of the offer, Xu Shao had refused, and so it instead fell onto the laps of Xiao Ru. Still, Xu Shao had uses, and became Xiao Ru’s assistant both in his domain and in the provincial capital, helping him with his daily affairs. He soon proved himself indispensable to Xiao Ru, who began to favor him heavily with rewards and powers. Honorable as he was, Xu Shao responded by continuing to serve Xiao Ru with the best of his abilities, although he always kept one eye on his new master.

Liu Chong tried his best during the following months, but it was difficult to always evade the forces of his enemy. The fact that Liu Dai was still suffering from his injuries didn’t seem to stop him nor his troops, although the reports his spies brought in seemed to indicate that Liu Dai was often in pain. His scouts also indicated that his rival had an army twice as large as his own. This was going to be a problem, one to which the Prince of Chen found no solution. Over the weeks, he found himself with less and less room to maneuver and escape, to which was added the lowering morale of his troops over these frequent flights from the enemy. Realizing that his troops might desert if he didn’t do something, Liu Chong chose to take a defensive position at Gaoping and waited for Liu Dai to arrive. The ensuing battle, while a victory for Yan Province, did leave Liu Dai with almost a thousand casualties.

Liu Chong was thus forced to flee with his troops, weakened by battle at Gaoping. His strategies had proven useful, but didn’t secure him the victory he had been hoping for. He had hoped this would boost up morale for his men, but it instead had the opposite effect. But the start of 194, Liu Chong was awakened up by his officers to find that a thousand soldiers had mutinied against him, refusing to continue to fight. He wanted to go meet them and convince them of the error of their way, but he was told that it was a bad idea. To support this argument, one of Liu Chong’s advisors showed him the head sent by the mutineers. The head of the officer who had previously been in charge of the mutineers. The message was clear enough. Liu Chong was forced to use brute force, and after a quick battle he was able to deal with this little revolt into his ranks. However, this had given Liu Dai the opportunity to catch up to him. The ensuing battle was once again a defeat, which left Liu Chong wondering how the heck he was supposed to save his province from Liu Dai.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ru hadn’t exactly been making friends in the provincial capital. Everyone could agree that Xu Shao was competent enough to do the job and an honorable man. No one had issues with him. What they had issue with was the ruthless man in charge, who kept demanding their strict adherence to the provincial laws. Many of them had enjoyed some autonomy as long as they were loyal and competent at their job. But now they found their agents arrested in the capital over trivial offences and tortured to death. This did not go well with the many administrators. It didn’t help that by 194 Xiao Ru had begun to fancy himself as the one behind the success of the administration in Liu Chong’s absence. Oh, he gave some of the credit to Xu Shao, sure, but he still put himself front and center. He hoped that this would cement his position as Liu Chong’s indispensable advisor, even if it meant making a few enemies here and there.

His plan fell apart in April 194, not only because he had made far more enemies than he thought, but also because there was no way Xiao Ru could have anticipated the news that arrived. Liu Chong had passed away of natural death at the age of 64. The Prince of Chen was no more. Since Liu Chong had no close relative to pass the province to, Xiao Ru tried to grab it for himself. Xu Shao advised him against such move, but his ambition was clouding his judgement. Having been in charge of the province for the last year, it was easy enough for him to secure himself the provincial capital. But Xiao Ru was lying to himself if he thought that the rest of the administrators would obey his authority. He soon found that he had no authority outside of Chen Commandery and that he was now a warlord among others. His grip over the provincial capital, also weakened after a riot over food supply, which was now blocked by a neighboring administrator challenging Xiao Ru’s authority. This forced Xiao Ru out of the city, with the rebels handing it out to another warlord who was of the Liu Clan.

Liu Dai had hoped to add a unified province to his territories. Instead, he now found himself with half a dozen autonomous warlords. And with the division of Liu Chong’s army following his death, each of these warlords had troops to fight him with. Reunifying the region would take years to achieve, which he discovered he did not have. Soon after he learned of Liu Chong’s death, another messenger arrived, this time from his own Yan Province. While he was absent south, it seemed that Qing Province had decided to take revenge for his previous attempted conquest by doing the same. However, it was no longer Kong Rong who ruled the province. The descendent of Confucius had died earlier in 194 and had been replaced by his second-in-command Tan Zhihan. Having risen up the ranks due to his command of troops against the revolt of Hu Zan, Tan Zhihan had secured a position that made sure he was Kong Rong’s uncontested successor. And now, in order to secure his reign, he was avenging the honor of his predecessors by attempting to conquer Yan Province.

In a funny repeat of the previous war between Yan and Qing, Tan Zhihan’s first target was none other than Fei County, that old territory that Xiao Ru had killed for. By then it was ruled by Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Gui’s eldest son. When they saw the approaching army, Zhuge Jin came out and offered to meet with Tan Zhihan, just as Zhuge Gui had done with Kong Rong. Tan Zhihan, impressed by the man’s ability with words, allowed him to go back to his home unmolested. Zhuge Jin, against the advice of his brother Zhuge Liang, decided that it was better to simply surrender and spare the lives of everyone in Fei County. He quickly allowed Tan Zhihan to occupy the region, for which the new Inspector showed his thanks by reining in his men to ensure a minimum of destructions. Zhuge Liang, who believed that they could have held out long enough for Liu Dai to arrive, was infuriated.

But Liu Dai was not coming. While the Governor of Yan Province attempted to make his way north to go fight Tan Zhihan, he soon found his injuries becoming a problem. By the time they had reached his provincial capital, he was too much in pain to continue leading the troops. However, he refused to let one of his ambitious generals lead the troops instead, fearing they would then turn around and use the army against him to take over the province. So the campaign stalled as the injuries finally worsened and his health deteriorated. In the end, Liu Dai died in December 194 while a physician tried his best to save him. With the Governor dead, his servants and generals began to quarrel over who should succeed, or if Liu Dai’s children should inherit the province. In the chaos that ensued, the Governor’s seal of authority was stolen and his palace caught fire, leading to the death of his sons. Yan Province, which had been so strong a year ago, now found itself divided in the same way as Yu Province eight months before. Generals and administrators were now warlords vying for power among themselves. Tan Zhihan, seeing this mess, decided to return home for now. Two powerful provinces had fell into anarchy. Now the question remained. Would one of its warlords reunify it, or would the neighboring powers decide to take a chunk out of these suddenly weakened territories?

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PS: So Xiao Ru has the dubious honor of being the first character to be an actual independent warlord! He's not that strong, but still.

 

[Zamarak500]

194-195: THE FATE OF DONG HUANG​

Dong Huang had managed to end the war before the rebels reached Luoyang, but he had done so by accepting the demands of Guo Si and Lü Bu, recognizing that they were now free of the his authority. While he hoped that he would be praised for saving the capital from pillage, and at the same time save face, he soon realized that his position was in fact irredeemably damaged at court. To many, he had proven that he was a coward who couldn’t defeat the rebels, a man incapable of protecting the Dynasty. Some who had accepted him as the compromise candidate between his uncle’s followers and those that murdered Dong Zhuo began to wonder why they still followed him. After all, most of said generals had just broken away from the imperial government. Any attempt to spin the current situation in a positive light backfired, and soon Dong Huang began to fear that he was critically isolated in the Imperial Capital.

Thankfully, he could still count on court etiquette to at least force the people to show him respect in public. They might be grumbling in private, but it wasn’t like they were going to publicly talk him down, right? It was a good thing too, as the Emperor was becoming hard to manage. He was now complaining about Dong Huang’s decisions and actually considering that his Chancellor needed to listen to him. The teenage brat somehow thought he had real authority. Hadn’t he learned anything by now? He was supposed to be a good obedient puppet and nothing else! With his court possibly talking behind his back and his puppet now showing a mind of his own, Dong Huang was getting more and more nervous. But he was shocked when one day an official came forward with a petition to the Emperor, asking for the Chancellor’s removal from office. Dong Huang was present when the petition was handed, a clear show of how much bolder his opponents had become. As the Emperor’s co-regent, Dong Huang was able to refuse it, but was spooked by this event, especially as his co-regent Yang Biao did nothing to stop this whole affair.

This event had been engineered by Jiang Xian, who wanted to use this to test the waters, to see how much support there would be to the removal of Dong Huang. And who knew? Maybe this little scheme was going to work? Of course, it hadn’t worked like that, but the fact that no one jumped forward to defend Dong Huang was a good sign that the Chancellor had lost most of his support. The fact that Yang Biao hadn’t done anything to help Dong Huang was a good sign that the alliance their group had with him would soon come to an end. Shisun Rui, who was in attendance when the petition was presented, quickly linked this whole scene to his fellow conspirator. Unlike Jiang Xian, he wasn’t amused by this, and feared that this would lead Dong Huang to retaliate blindly. He even went so far as visit Jiang Xian at his home that night, demanding that he be quieter and less ostentatious from now on. Critically, however, he did not told Jiang Xian to stop.

Now feeling his power falling out of his grasp, Dong Huang consulted with his main advisor, the eunuch Sui Boneng. Dong Huang was afraid that courtiers were trying to undermine his power, that the court might get rid of him if he didn’t do something. He had to betray his uncle to get here, and he wasn’t going to let it go that easily. Sui Boneng, who realized the fragile situation Dong Huang was in, gave him the advice to dispel the doubts with a swift series of reforms and new laws. By reforming the imperial government to finally root out the corruption and restore righteousness, he would reaffirm his position in the eyes of the court. The Confucian scholars might even become his staunchest allies if he went that path. He needed to prove that while he was not a war Chancellor, he was definitively the right man for the job. He needed to be so unreproachable that it would silence his opponents. But Dong Huang didn’t listen to most of the advice. After all, he was the one behind most of that corruption. The only thing he would clean would be his last allies, which would leave him defenseless. That part about silencing his opponents, though…

In mid-October 194, a few weeks after the end of the war, Jiang Xian summoned his fellow conspirators Yang Biao and Shisun Rui to his home. Officially, this was just an invitation for friends to drink tea. After all, Jiang Xian was still renowned for his tea, even if his duties left him with little time to train his craft. But the meeting of these three high ranking officials was obviously political. It was during that meeting that Jiang Xian really began to push forward the idea of getting rid of Dong Huang like they had done with Dong Zhuo. He had already began talking with other officials and he was convinced that there would be support for such move. Yet Jiang Xian soon realize that both of his allies had issues with this idea and weren’t on board like he had hoped.

Yang Biao believed that they would be able to remove him through legal means. The Emperor would be an adult in a few years. Soon he would be able to remove his problematic chancellor. Jiang Xian tried to convince him that they needed to save the Emperor from Dong Huang, but Yang Biao refused to hear any more talks of what he saw as treason. Shisun Rui was far more open to the idea, but did point out the many issues they had to face. Since the death of Feng Fang, the palace’s guard was no longer under their sway, and it was unlikely they would regain it anytime soon. They also didn’t know if the provincial officials would support them with an army like last time. Niu Fu didn’t seem like the kind of man to support such actions. And finally, they lacked a “Dong Huang” to open them access to the inner circles of the Chancellor. So to Jiang Xian’s annoyance, he was told to drop this before Dong Huang heard of it.

But as it turned out, Dong Huang did hear of it. Like many plots and conspiracies before, someone spilled the bean and told the Chancellor that Jiang Xian was meeting with his allies and other officials. Wrongfully believing that Yang Biao was the mastermind behind it, he decided to act decisively against his co-regent. Forging proofs of Yang Biao’s desires on the throne, he was able to convince the Emperor to write two edicts for him. The first one summoned Yang Biao to the palace for an urgent audience with the Son of Heaven. Loyal as he was to the Dynasty, Yang Biao presented himself without worries, even if Shisun Rui warned him that this might be a trap. As soon as he stepped in, the palace guards seized the co-regent and executed him. As they moved to cut his head, Yang Biao screamed “Wait! I came to see the Emperor! This is a mistake!” The second edict, which condemned Yang Biao and his clan as traitors to the Han, was soon posted throughout the city. While all members of the Yang Clans were condemned to death, only Yang Biao was present in Luoyang at the time, his son and relatives thus escaping his gruesome fate.

Yang Biao’s associates were quick to realize that this sudden execution only marked the start of Dong Huang’s crackdown against his opponents. Guards and imperial agents were sent throughout the city to arrest and imprison all of Yang Biao’s allies and associates at court. The Chancellor hoped that he could arrest them all in one swoop, after which he would condemn them through a sham trial which would secure his hold on the capital. Everyone who believed themselves targeted were quick to pack their bags and make a run for it. As the minister of Justice, Shisun Rui was quickly made aware of things to come when his own arrest order landed on his desk. He was quick to dispose of it, which gave him the time to flee Luoyang and join his holdings in Sili Province. On his way, he sent envoys to all administrators and magistrates of the province, telling them of Dong Huang’s tyrannic hold on the capital and the Emperor. Niu Fu was the first to rally Shisun Rui’s banner against the Chancellor, but not the last. Within a week, most of Sili Province was in revolt, to Dong Huang’s horror.

Jiang Xian wasn’t as lucky as his associate. While he was among the firsts to learn of Yang Biao’s death, he hoped that this would allow him to rally others so they could make a move against Dong Huang. This useless attempt to act would cost him his window of opportunity to flee the capital. He attempted to reach a gate to escape, but his height made him noticeable and he was quickly apprehended as he made a detour to his home, unaware that his wife and daughter had already fled. Jiang Xian was dragged away with the other officials and thrown into a jail cell. He had hoped that his high-ranking position in the imperial government would ensure that he was treated well, but he was thrown in a simply cell like any criminal. His attempts to have an audience with Dong Huang to explain himself were also refused. The Chancellor had no time for him. No, Dong Huang had already decided that Jiang Xian would rot in his cell until the end of the revolt, when he would be executed along the other rebels.

Dong Huang was horrified to learn that his Grand Commandant Yao Xu had been captured by the rebels on his way to the capital. A survivalist, the barbarian had found it wise to simply surrender and not try to run. This meant that Dong Huang had to rely on Duan Wei. In normal times, Dong Huang would have no issue with this. But he had become suspicious of his general during the war with Guo Si, suspecting that the man had deliberately botched the war due to his ties with the rebellious generals. And with the recent betrayals from the courtiers and officials, the Chancellor’s paranoia was more rampant than ever. Yet Duan Wei was one of the few generals still loyal to him, for better or worst.

Xu Rong, the former Commandant of Lü Bu who had switched side, was quick to notice that they barely had 800 men to their army. Meanwhile, the rebels had a few thousands to throw at them. Adding to that was the fact that they only controlled Luoyang, the former western capital of Chang’an and some territories in the west, and their situation looked dire, if not doomed. Xu Rong was also made nervous by Dong Huang’s current paranoid purges. Had he switched side to save his life from Lü Bu’s wrath, only to die at Dong Huang’s hands? He told his fears to Duan Wei, telling him that they were too good to die for Duan Wei. But Duan Wei did his best to calm him down. Ever since the campaign against Guo Si, Duan Wei’s ego had skyrocketed due to his newfound authority with the troops. He promised his fellow commander that at the end of this war, they would come out on top, convinced of his military skills.

Meanwhile, Niu Fu was linking up with Shisun Rui. Shisun Rui was especially pleased to have managed to rally such a hero to his cause. Niu Fu’s had become something of a hero among the people loyal to the Han, where he was praised for his loyalty to the Dynasty in this time of selfish ambitions. His presence by his side would ensure that they would win on the battlefield against the Chancellor’s forces. Niu Fu was important enough to the rebels’ propaganda that Shisun Rui actually worked with him on the official declaration he would send throughout the Dynasty. He needed to explain why he was revolting against the Chancellor after all, so having parts of the text coming from such a virtuous man would ensure that they had the people on their side.

When Niu Fu finally arrived, he brought two surprising news with him. The first was that he had actually defeated a small force while on his way. It had been a quick battle, and he only lost one man during the fighting while he managed to kill 118 enemies. This was great news, as Shisun Rui was aware of Dong Huang’s manpower issue. Cutting that many troops was a great achievement for their cause. The second news was far less joyful, however. While on the run, Diaochan and her daughter had reached Niu Fu, who took them under his protection. Since Jiang Xian wasn’t with them, Shisun Rui guessed that his colleague hadn’t been able to make it out of the capital. With Heaven on their side, maybe they could take the Capital before Dong Huang decided to execute him, if it wasn’t done already.

It was in late December that the rebel force arrived in sight of the walls of Luoyang. A small mist had made it hard for the defenders of the city to notice their slow but sure approach. By the time the mist dissipated, the people of the capital could see the full extend of the force coming for them. Shisun Rui could only smile as he saw the city. While Niu Fu was certainly the better general, Shisun Rui was the one who started the uprising. As its head, he had to be the one in command. And with Yang Biao dead and Jiang Xian’s fate unknown, he was now positioned to be the highest ranking official at court once Dong Huang was removed. Cementing his position as leader now would ensure that there wouldn’t be some opportunistic general to take control of the Emperor. So Shisun Rui ordered the assault on Luoyang, ready to defeat Dong Huang and save the capital.

And then Duan Wei defeated them.

The defenders had been drilled and prepared by Duan Wei and Xu Rong and were ready when the enemies arrived. Meanwhile, the rebels banked on their numerical advantage, outnumbering Duan Wei’s troops four to one. So when they faced surprising resistance while attacking the walls, Shisun Rui’s men panicked. They had expected an easy victory, but it seemed like their enemies would fight to the bitter end. They began to flee in panic, which led to more deaths and wounded. In the end, it resulted in the death of 115 soldiers. This might seem insignificant until compared to the 19 troops lost by Duan Wei and his defenders. So while this was a short engagement, it went straight to Duan Wei’s head, and soon everyone looked at him as the genius who had achieved an impossible victory. Even in the rebel camp his unexpected exploit would be acknowledged, with Niu Fu saying to his men “We entered battle without realizing it was already under General Duan’s control.”

Dong Huang was certainly quick to reward Duan Wei over his successful defense of the Imperial Capital. Only a few days before, the Chancellor had been expecting his enemies to swarm into the palace and kill him. In fact, when a messenger was sent by Duan Wei to announce the victory, he found Dong Huang hiding behind a curtain. He actually had to explain that he was sent by Duan Wei, not the rebels, that no, it was not a trap, and that yes, Duan Wei had emerged victorious.

Overjoyed, Dong Huang spent the next weeks showering Duan Wei with promotions and honors. He appointed him General who Protects the Empire and Marshal of the Imperial Capital. Soon after, he was given the seal of the Grand Commandant, making it clear that Duan Wei was now the top military officer of the imperial army. Duan Wei was also made Marquis of Youfufeng by the Emperor himself. Finally, he gave him many administrative positions in the western territories still loyal to the capital. This included Chang’an, the former Han capital. The reason for this was that Dong Huang hoped to possibly make a run for it there, abandoning Luoyang to the rebels and regrouping in the older capital. The Chancellor still wished to remain here and defeat the rebels, of course, but it didn’t hurt to have a plan B.

Meanwhile, the rebel force fled the surroundings of the capital to regroup up north, still shaken by what had just happened. Even with their righteous cause and their superior army, they had still lost to Duan Wei. Shisun Rui was understandably shaken by this setback. If they could lose this, what guaranteed they wouldn’t lose the next battle? Or the war? Thankfully, the noble and righteous Niu Fu was able to convince him to keep his spirit high. Yes, it had been a setback, but they couldn’t start doubting now. The Emperor still needed their help. Dong Huang still needed to be removed. Shisun Rui, seeing the effect Niu Fu’s words had on everyone, continued to play the depressed so that Niu Fu would continue to inspire the men. Shisun Rui was eventually “convinced” by the general’s words and proclaim once against that they would free the Emperor, together. Niu Fu, now clearly an equal in this relationship, was quick to train the troops for another battle. This time however, they took their time to prepare a strategy, and it was only in February 195 that they marched against Luoyang for the final confrontation…

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Most people would expect that being tall would have been an advantage in life. Yet, every time his size came into his life, it was as a disadvantage. When Dong Zhuo took over, he had always been afraid that his height would get him noticed and sent to his death. Thankfully, he had survived the fat warlord, but it didn’t do anything other than make him stand out more. His size was even the reason why he was in this dimmed lit cell, with cold stones under him and the sounds of the guards walking upstairs stopping him from sleeping. But now he had realized one of the most basic problems with his size: he was far too long for the straw bed they had given him. In his home, he had always had a large bed to make sure he was comfortable. His attempts at crawling himself over it had only sent straws all over the floor and damaged his only mean to rest. He had asked the guards for another bed, but they didn’t care.

The fact that the guards had finally changed his bed only made Jiang Xian more worried however. He feared that it meant Dong Huang would execute him soon. Still, it felt good to sleep on a “comfortable” bed for once. When he had been thrown in, he was wearing his court outfit, so he had been using them as drapes when he slept. The stone floor was cold at time. Thankfully, he still had his shoes, which was not the case of all the prisoners. He heard many of them complain about their cold feet, or complain about the smell. The smell. At times it was horrendous. The buckets each prisoner had been given tended to smell, and since the cells were often close, he had to smell what everyone produced. Thankfully, this was something the guards changed often.

How long had it been since he had been arrested by Dong Huang’s men? Jiang Xian could only wonder. How many of them had been caught? That he didn’t know. Many, if the number of voices on this floor were any indication. He could only guess they had all been associated one way or another with him or his former partners. He had hoped that they could help him remove the Chancellor from power, yet here they were, horded up like cattle awaiting slaughter. At times, he had wondered who was close to him, but it proved a difficult task. Other than the occasional torches on the walls, the dim daylight was the only thing chasing the darkness, and it was barely enough to see in his cell. As for their voices, he didn’t recognize them. It didn’t help that some of them started dropping dead, their health unable to handle their current situation.

He envied them, in a way. He knew that his body was strong enough to make him live. He would not escape whatever punishment Dong Huang had for him. Death, surely. The only question was which kind. Would he have to watch his wife and daughter die before him? He could only guess that they had also been captured. The thoughts of what happened to everyone always filtered their way into his mind. What had happened to his family? Had Shisun Rui escaped? Was everything they had all worked for doomed? He couldn’t decide what had broken his spirit more: the realization of what fate awaited him or the fact he was kept in the dark from what was happening. After all, he had expected to be kill swiftly, yet here he was, still alive, sitting uncomfortably on his straw bed.

He looked at the grey ceiling and sighted. How could it have gone so wrong? He had done it all for the Emperor, to save the Han! Why hadn’t Heaven been on his side? Or was it because his intentions weren’t as pure as he might have thought? His time in his cell had left Jiang Xian with a lot of time to think. He had begun to question if he hadn’t given himself priority. After all, everything he had done so far had advantaged him. So he began to wonder. Had he put himself first because he

“Get up!” screamed a guard.

“W-what?”

“I said get up!”

Jiang Xian did as he was ordered and stood up. From what he could see of himself, his dress was a mess, full of dirt and straws covering it. Still, he did his best to straighten his clothes as best as he could in these circumstances. The guards, who clearly wished to rough him up a bit, stopped when they noticed his size. Feeling a bit intimidated, they actually backed down.

“We’re taking you to the Chancellor.” one of them said, taking out cuffs to put on Jiang Xian’s wrists.

“Oh.” he said in a passive tone.

So it was time. He wasn’t sure how to feel right now. He wondered how he was about to be executed when the guards dragged him out of the prison building, tugging the rope tied to his cuffs. Sometimes, the other guard gave him small shoves, as if he needed to assert his authority over the taller man. They dragged him in the streets and led him inside the palace’s courtyard, where palace guards took over and dragged him into the court, bringing him in the throne room. He was pushed on his knees by one of the guards, right in front of the Chancellor.

“Remove the cuffs off this brave man.” he ordered in a calm voice.

Jiang Xian’s eyes widened when he heard this voice. It wasn’t Dong Huang.

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When he learned in mid-February that the rebel forces would be back to Luoyang in a week, Duan Wei first thought that he could pull out another miracle victory like he had done previously. Xu Rong was quick to bring him back to reality though. They had only won last time because their discipline and fierceness had caught the enemies by surprise. Surely, rebels would have spent the last month preparing for the next fight. Duan Wei was forced to realize that they would likely lose the incoming battle. Yet he had all this authority, this power, these titles… He was now a hero among the troops and the people of Luoyang for saving the capital. And with all that Dong Huang had given him as a reward, he was actually far more powerful than the Chancellor.

After a few hours of thinking, Duan Wei made the only choice he could think of, the only option he saw to retain power and evade the coming defeat. On the morning of February the 15th, 195, Duan Wei appeared in front of his troops, flanked by Xu Rong and other loyal officers. He then ranted against the tyranny that plagued the palace, that had led loyal servants of the throne into this dire situation. There had been a call to save the Emperor from Dong Huang. It was about time that they answered it. On his orders, the troops then left the walls and occupied the capital. They made their way to the inner palace with their commander at their head. By the time they arrived the palace was mostly undefended, most guards having abandoned their post when they learned of the soldiers approaching. Those that loyally remained to their posts were slaughtered, as were many officials who wrongly attempted to calm the men.

Dong Huang learned of this and panicked. He sent envoys to Duan Wei demanding an explanation and asking for the troops to return to their barracks, but the envoys were killed. Now reasonably fearing for his life, the Chancellor left everything behind and tried to make a run for it with his wife and concubines. But the palace was surrounded and they couldn’t escape. In a last ditched effort to survive, Dong Huang attempted to hide in the imperial quarters with the Emperor. But one official successfully bargained his life by snitching on him. Soldiers barged into the quarters to find the Chancellor cowering behind the teenage Emperor, who was himself livid at the sight of the armed men. Duan Wei had the decency to come in and reassure the Emperor before dragging the Chancellor outside. Dong Huang screamed as he was dragged out, pleading Duan Wei to spare him. Duan Wei then asked the Emperor to appose his seal on a decree he had written a few hours before his coup. Spooked, but smart enough to realize the situation, the Emperor obliged.

With a decree to validate his coup and subsequent purge in hand, Duan Wei had Dong Huang beheaded down the steps of the palace, right where his uncle had fell four years before. This time though, it was ensured that no member of the Dong Clan survived this regime change. Dong Huang’s uncle and cousins were all tracked down and slaughtered, as well as their in-laws. Officials who were considered part of Dong Huang’s inner circle were also put to death. This included, to the cheers of many, the eunuch Sui Boneng, who died for the crime of attempting to help his master be a better ruler. Many officials who had been close to Don Huang in his struggle with Dong Zhuo’s murderers were able to escape the purge by pledging their loyalty to Duan Wei, who happily offered them his clemency. For his “cleaning of the corruption”, the Emperor “rewarded” Duan Wei by making him his Chancellor, a position which the general quickly accepted.

Now Chancellor, Duan Wei quickly dispatched messengers throughout the realm, proclaiming: “The villain Dong Huang has been slayed and his corrupt regime has been destroyed. Imperial power has been restored thanks to the effort of his Excellency Duan Wei, Chancellor of the Han and righteous liberator of the Imperial Capital.” Needless to say, the rebels were surprised and unsure how to handle this new development. While Shisun Rui didn’t trust their enemy to suddenly be their friend, his rebellion quickly lost its wind as most of his allies chose to return home, satisfied with this turn of event. After all, hadn’t Duan Wei just done what they wished to achieve? Niu Fu, who had previously fought side-by-side with Duan Wei, was certainly satisfied with this outcome. To sweeten the deal, Duan Wei even released all Shisun Rui’s allies that had been imprisoned by Dong Huang, including Jiang Xian.

Seeing that there would be no point in continuing the fight, Shisun Rui grudgingly accepted the change and made his way to the capital. But to his surprise, he was met by messengers of the new Chancellor telling him that he shouldn’t go. He was instead to report to the provincial posts he had. These counties needed to be administrated after all, right? So… you go do that. The former Chief Censor was smart enough to understand that refusing to comply might lead to him never reaching Luoyang alive, and so turned back. Meanwhile, Jiang Xian and the other released officials soon discovered that their influence was greatly diminished. They were welcomed to stay and be part of the court, of course. Duan Wei was happy to see them here… just not nowhere close to any real power. These posts were filled by officials Duan Wei could count on, if it hadn’t been given to his officers as a reward. For example, Xu Rong found himself the new Grand Commandant, and Niu Fu, a commander Duan Wei wanted to rally by his side, was given a chosen place among his advisors. So the nephew of Dong Zhuo was finally gone, replaced by one of his former generals. And this one seemed to hold all the cards.

 

[Zamarak500]

194-195: THE BARBARIANS ARE BACK​

The recent revolt of the southern barbarian tribes led by Meng Shamoke, which had taken quite a toll on Liu Yan. Maybe it was his deteriorating mental state or maybe he had realized that violence wouldn’t be the solution for once. Whatever his reasons, the Governor of Yi Province made the surprising decision of pardoning the barbarians and their leader, allowing everyone to go back home. This rare show of clemency would prove to be a grave and costly mistake for Liu Yan. Instead of leaving and thanking him for not slaughtering them, many of the southern barbarians refused to put aside their grievances and go back into submission. While Meng Shamoke asked them to disperse, many of his troops decided to continue the fight against the Han Chinese oppressors. The multiethnic force elected one of their own as their leader, a Bandunman named Hou, and then started raiding the closest Chinese settlements. After a few successes against under garrisoned outposts, many barbarians abandoned their villages to join in their rebellious comrades. By the time news reached Liu Yan, Hou had more than five thousand men at his disposal.

Having just arrived back to the provincial capital, Liu Yan was enraged to learn of Hou’s uprising. Hadn’t he just marched south to deal with the barbarians? And instead of accepting his forgiveness, they spat on it and continued to fight him. This news did nothing for his deteriorating mental state, something shown quite clearly to everyone when he had the messenger executed, although he rescinded the order when he realized he was ordering the death of an innocent man. For the next few days, Liu Yan secluded himself more and more from his court, only receiving visit from his advisors. He was beginning to doubt his ability to handle the situation. Maybe he had been too ambitious, too arrogant. Maybe his whole plan to build a powerbase in Yi Province had actually been a bad call.

His worries were made worst by the constant letters he received from his son Liu Fan. His eldest son was still in Luoyang, trying his best to have a career at court. And from what he was hearing, things weren’t going well for the imperial regime. Now it seemed Dong Zhuo’s former generals were trying to break away from Dong Huang. A civil war in the north only made him more stressed. Depending who triumphed, he might have a powerful warlord in Liang looking south as a way to expand. Just another thing to stress about. He really didn’t need more to worry about, not right now!

More unstable than ever, he woke up one day and angrily asked for one of his advisors to come advise him on how to deal with the uprising. While he had done the same on the previous days, those he called mumbled something but were unable to do much to advise him, fearing that they might offend him. This time it fell on He Xiaolong. He Xiaolong was an old scholar who had been serving Liu Yan since he arrived in the province. Following the end of the Yizhou Rebellion, he was given control of the rebellious Jianwei Commandery. This gift also had the effect of taking him away from court, which left a void that was filled by a young upstart named Pan Zheng. He Xiaolong had been among the officials to voice displeasure at Pan Zheng’s quick rise. He believed that a career had to be built one step at a time, unlike Pan Zheng who was just skyrocketed among the top scholars of the province. He had tried to tell the young man how things were supposed to be done, but Pan Zheng sent him packing, his bluntness coming out as insulting to the older scholar. Needless to say, he wasn’t sad to see Pan Zheng leave in dishonor a few weeks ago.

He Xiaolong was quick to see that his lord was in no state to lead troops. No in the sense that he was too sick or too weak to get on his horse and lead the army, no. But if he did so, nobody knew what kind of dangerous decision he would take in his demoralized state. No, it was better to have Liu Yan stay home and let someone else command the troops. Seeing an opportunity, He Xiaolong decided that he was the perfect man for the job. “Let me lead the troops for you, my lord.” he asked directly. “You already walked south to deal with one problem. I do not think you need to bother with it a second time.” Had he been in his normal state of mind, Liu Yan might have taken it as an insult, but right now he just wanted to rest. He gave He Xiaolong full power to lead the troops, although he was still smart enough to have his Commandant sent along.

He Xiaolong could only agree with his lord’s wisdom. The fact that the Commandant would also be sent was to be expected, after all. It was a miracle he had been able to get command at all. Wu Mengjie was a general in his prime who had proven himself extremely competent on multiple occasions. When the old Fan Min had passed away, he had been the obvious replacement, marking a departure from the usual old men who made Liu Yan’s inner circle. He was loyal, respectful of the law and dedicated to his work. His only issue was that his rising star had started to get to his head. Wu Mengjie had in fact been awaiting an order to lead the campaign when He Xiaolong came to tell him that he had been the one put in charge of destroying the barbarians. Annoyed, but with orders to follow, Wu Mengjie put himself under He Xiaolong’s command. He Xiaolong was wise enough to keep Wu Mengjie satisfied, consulting him on most military decisions. This made their partnership a working and efficient one that would be a problem for Hou and his barbarians.

But as they made their way south to go deal with the uprising, the two commanders learned that Hou and his barbarians weren’t the sole problems on their hands anymore. Hou had managed to take some territories with his men and had begun to “reclaim” lands from the “invading” Chineses, so far having met little resistance to stop him. Inspired by his successes, a Nanman named Lulei assembled his own band of disgruntled barbarians to free his territories. While he was far less successful in his recruiting, he was also far more mobile, mostly going on a raiding spree while he followed the eastern border of the province. With Hou following the western route north, He Xiaolong and Wu Mengjie had to decide which of the two groups they were going to go after. Lulei and his group were obviously the lesser threat, but that meant that they could be dealt far more easily than Hou and his barbarian army. In the end, both men agreed that it was a bad idea to let Hou’s force alone. If he wasn’t stop, no one knew how much damage he could do. Maybe he could even go for the provincial capital if he met no opposition.

It was late that year (194) that they finally came in reach of Hou’s barbarian army. The sight of these savage warriors was one that inspired fear in the heart of many. However, He Xiaolong knew from a fact that their men were far better equipped and trained than the barbarians, even if the enemies had the numerical advantage. Wu Mengjie drilled the troops as often as possible to make sure that they were ready to fight the barbarians when the time came. Hou and his army didn’t seem interested in them however, so they would have to make the first move when the time came. Meanwhile, the two generals feared what would happen if they attacked first, so they waited. In the meantime, He Xiaolong tried to read as much writings as he could on the barbarians, hoping to find some weakness to exploit. He frowned when he found a book with Pan Zheng’s annotations in it, the young scholar having put his comments all over the book. He probably had forgotten it behind when he left. Even if he disliked the young man, He Xiaolong still read the commentaries, although it was mostly racists assumptions (even by 2nd century standards) about the barbarians on Pan Zheng’s part.

The battle finally came as He Xiaolong decided that it was necessary to strike Hou and his army before they moved again. When the time came, Wu Mengjie could rely on two younger subordinates who he had started grooming before this campaign. The first was a young man of pure noble breed, Gao Rou. Gao Rou’s family actually came from the north, and in his youth, he had been in the service of the powerful Yuan Clan. However, his father received a commandery in Yi Province, which prompted him to go join him, seeing it as a better path to rise. Wu Mengjie quickly caught a glimpse of the arrogant young man, who he decided looked like a promising protégé. This would prove a good choice, as Gao Rou was honorable and loyal. In fact, he would remain close to Wu Mengjie for the rest of his life and would stay loyal to Liu Yan’s family until his death.

If Gao Rou was of high birth, Huang Quan’s origins were a bit more dubious. No one really knew where he came from until he popped up as a small official at county level. He was then recruited in the army and had recently risen up to the position of magistrate. Huang Quan might have been older than Gao Rou, but he certainly lacked the talents of his younger comrade. Huang Quan had no talent for political intrigues, no grand ambitions, little diplomatic skills and no allies at court to help him out. The only domain where he truly excelled was warfare. There was probably no one as talented throughout the province when it came to strategies or leading troops. Even his mentor Wu Mengjie had to admit that Huang Quan already surpassed him, and it was only their age and rank that allowed him to stand over his second protégé.

When the battle came, everyone acted as they were supposed to. He Xiaolong had made sure to leave the strategy to Wu Mengjie. Better let this crucial battle in the hands of the one who actually lead troops for a living. Besides, the Commandant would have an easier time to coordinate with his subordinates. Wu Mengjie gladly accepted the job and made sure to have an airtight plan for the battle. He knew that the barbarians lacked the cohesion his provincial troops had. This proved a good assumption. After Gao Rou led a small assault to annoy the barbarians, Hou ordered a counter attack to destroy the enemies. When the barbarians faced disciplined troops refusing to budge, however, the battle slowly but surely turned in favor of the provincial forces. After a few days of difficult fighting, Hou and his larger army were routed and eventually destroyed. Hou was then found by Gao Rou a few weeks later and executed.

Hou might have been the main problem they had to deal with, but he was far from the only one. Lulei was still going on his raids, now dangerously close to the provincial capital as he made his way through the cities up north. Wu Mengjie wanted to go after him, but He Xiaolong refused. They needed to pacify the south first and make sure that the barbarians wouldn’t rise up again the second they left. It wouldn’t do to make the same mistake as last time. So they occupied the villages and cities as much as they could, bringing law and order back to the region. Still, He Xiaolong agreed that he couldn’t simply let Lulei wandering around. In the end, they allowed a quarter of the army to leave, with Huang Quan leading the force. His task was to stop Lulei and end his rampage as fast as possible. Huang Quan swore to achieve this mission and set up at all speed toward the north, following the trail of destruction left by Lulei’s army.

While this whole war was going on, Pan Zheng settled in his new home as best as he could. Following his banishment by his father, he had been invited by his father-in-law Fang Lingxin to come live with him in Wuyang, where he had recently been appointed as its magistrate. Wishing to be with her father, Fang Xia was quickly able to convince her husband that this was the best option for him. Pan Zheng was clearly aware of what his wife was doing, but he also had to agree with her. Getting under the protection of his father-in-law would allow him some tranquility, as he was now seen by many as a disgrace. Besides, it would finally leave him with enough time to write his personal thoughts on the “cohabitation” between barbarians and Han Chinese. Yes, he should really start working on it.

But his wife was annoyed that her husband fell back into his old habits to isolate himself in favor of his old texts. This time however, she didn’t need to use underhanded tactics to get to him. She had her father to help her. She told her father that her husband needed his help to build up his career. Fang Lingxin had no problems helping his daughter, and soon he began to force his son-in-law to participate in the administration of Wuyang, to the latter’s annoyance. Pan Zheng did not want to participate and stubbornly tried to ignore the tasks he was given. But his father-in-law was just as stubborn and began imposing restrictions on Pan Zheng, blocking him access to the library until he did his tasks. Fang Xia convinced her husband that the faster he did his new administrative duties, the faster he would be allowed to return to his books. Annoyed, he grudgingly sped through his tasks, refusing to take any more than he needed to. Which was a shame, as he was proving excellent in helping Fang Lingxin.

But in April 195, Wuyang was attacked by Lulei and his host. Forced into defending his new home, Pan Zheng found himself trusted into command of the garrison. While some wanted to fight the barbarians to protect their homes, Pan Zheng stubbornly insisted that they waited, as the barbarians weren’t worth risking their lives according to him. This forced Lulei into a long siege, which annoyed the barbarian to no end. But he needed to make this work. With Hou’s defeat he couldn’t allow his morale to weaken. They needed this win. So he began preparing for a siege, even if his men weren’t particularly good at it. He hoped that in time Pan Zheng and the garrison would surrender. News of Huang Quan’s army approaching changed his plans, however, and Lulei ordered a full-frontal assault on the city. Pan Zheng had done his best to prepare his troops, but he was no military genius. Had it not been for Huang Quan arriving just in time to save the day, the city might have been overrun by barbarians. Huang Quan was able to defeat the barbarians with Pan Zheng’s help, even slaying Lulei in battle.

This victory wasn’t without losses, however. It was soon discovered that Fang Lingxin had perished during the fighting. He didn’t even die at the hand of the barbarians, instead dying in a freak accident as a small piece of the wall fell on his head, killing him on the spot. Fang Xia was naturally devastated by her father’s dead and would isolate herself to cry for a few days until Pan Zheng finally consoled her in time for the funerary rites. Huang Quan, who felt some guilt over his failure to stop Lulei earlier, offered Pan Zheng and his wife to come live with him in his domain. But Pan Zheng refused. With his father-in-law dead, he felt like he no longer had a place in Yi Province. After a short mourning period for Fang Lingxin, Pan Zheng and Fang Xia left the province to find luck elsewhere.

While all this was happening, things were only getting worst for Liu Yan in his provincial capital. He was getting more and more depressed. His mental state was clearly deteriorating. Then in early 195 his son Liu Fan showed up panicked. He had fled the capital in October as the Chancellor Dong Huang proceeded to purge everyone associated with his enemies. This included Liu Fan, who had been getting close to Ying Biao over the last year. He had spent the last months fleeing Sili Province to escape the current civil war and go home. And then in March 1955 the worst possible thing happened. Angered at Liu Yan’s inability to stop the barbarians and frustrated at the taxes he levied to pay for the soldiers, many peasants around the provincial capital revolted against their governor. Soon people in the city itself were joining up this little rebellion.

Everyone was horrified when they learned of this. He Xiaolong and Wu Mengjie started to make their way up north to go rescue their lord, who was now besieged by his own peasants. However, Huang Quan was by far the closest to this mess. Once he had dealt with Lulei he made his way toward the provincial capital. He even sent messengers to try to tell Liu Yan to hold on, to wait for him to arrive and fix this. But Liu Yan had reached his breaking point. He committed suicide only two days before Huang Quan’s arrival, leaving his court in chaos. When Huang Quan arrived, he easily destroyed the rebels and secured the provincial capital, only to find that his lord had already taken his life. Just like that, Huang Quan found himself in a unique position to become the powerbroker of the province. But he was no Machiavellian mastermind and had no idea what to do in this situation, instead waiting for He Xiaolong’s arrival before making any decision. He Xiaolong knew exactly what to do. He placed Liu Yan’s eldest son Liu Fan in charge. Liu Fan was easy to manipulate, and the new Governor would rely extensively on He Xiaolong, making the old man the most powerful man in Yi province.

________

PS: Next chapters (always subject to change)

1. The revolt of Chen Wen continues
2. Lü Bu’s campaign against the Black Mountain Bandits
3. Yuan Shu’s war with the Celestial Masters
4. Duan Wei’s war with the Celestial Masters
5. What has been happening in Liang since the independence of Guo Si to early 196.

 

[Zamarak500]

194-195: FROM BAD TO GOOD TO BAD AGAIN​

The second defeat at the hand of Liu He had been catastrophic for the rebel force, which once again fled in panic. Yang Weili had weakly tried to keep some cohesion among the troops, but as everyone retreated each commander took their own soldiers and went in a different direction, more worried about the survival of their men than overall unity. His efforts, as weak as they were, only resulted in slowing him down, and he thus retreated far later than the other generals. Because of this, when a Xu officer decided to launch a pursuit against orders, he was able to catch up to Yang Weili and his bodyguards. After a small skirmish, the Commandant of Yang Province was captured and sent back in chains to the Xu provincial capital. There, Yang Weili would be thrown into a jail on Tao Shang’s orders. While he first entertained the idea of executing him on the spot for being a traitor, Tao Shang was convinced that Yang Weili could be used as a good bargaining chip. His friendship with Chen Wen would ensure that his ultimate fate would be left to the end of the civil war. Until then, the strategist was stuck into a cell, although one where he was decently treated.

When Chen Wen learned of his friend’s capture, he was infuriated. Against the advices of Lu Jun, who insisted that his duties were to stay in Hefei and lead the revolt from his seat, Chen Wen took some troops and led them out of his provincial capital. He now planned to go fight the war himself and kill as many enemies as possible. This was bad news for the rebel cause, as their leader was known to be a raging commander and a terrible general. As he made his way toward the fleeing troops, Chen Wen came into contact with Hu Zan, who had been the only one to retreat toward the capital (Liu Siyuan and Huang Zu had both fled northward). Hu Zan was horrified to see Chen Wen here, warning him that he needed to stay in Hefei should the enemies advance. But Chen Wen declared that offense was the only way forward! Hu Zan tried to convince his lord that, again, they needed to go on the defensive, but Chen Wen refused to listen. Hu Zan at least managed to explain that with most of the army north and Chen Wen between the enemy army and the capital, the south was now open to an invasion. Hu Zan asked to be allowed to organize a defense of the border to stop any enemy advance. He hoped that stopping such advance would show everyone that he was the best commander they had. Agreeing with his young general, Chen Wen appointed him Magistrate of Yutai, which was right next to the border with Xu Province. This would allow Hu Zan to organize his efforts on the frontline. Hu Zan now had the opportunity he had always dreamed of, an opportunity he would seize fully.

Liu Siyuan was annoyed to be stuck with Huang Zu. While both men acknowledged that they were among the best commanders of the rebellion, neither were particularly willing to obey the other. Liu Siyuan had joined this rebellion on the premise that he would not be a subordinate of Chen Wen. So having this angry older man use age as an excuse to command him around did not go well with the scion of the Han. Meanwhile, Huang Zu had been appointed in charge of the vanguard, and by Heaven he was going to command it! An officer from Jing Province, he had barely begun to accept Chen Wen’s authority, so he wasn’t going to have Liu Siyuan command him around. The lack of diplomatic skills from the two men made things only more difficult. Liu Siyuan was passionate about his ideas, but Huang Zu was too prideful to accept them. Jiang Gong, Liu Siyuan’s strategist, tried to bring the two to talks, as he didn’t want problems to arise among the leadership. Liu Siyuan was all for it, and even sent strategic plans he had made to Huang Zu as an olive branch, inviting him to help with them. Huang Zu felt insulted that he was just consulted and instead sent his own plans to Liu Siyuan, who himself felt offended as he had spent days passionately working on his strategies.

However, one thing on which the two men agreed was that they needed to go on the offensive as soon as possible. Huang Zu wanted to go back to fighting the enemies so they start a new offensive. Meanwhile, Liu Siyuan had learned of his cousin’s fate and the fact that Mi Fang had arrived as the new commander of the Xu forces. This was an opportunity to strike at his rival and get rid of him once and for all. Both men thus put their issues aside to go forward, eventually bumping into Chen Wen. The Inspector of Yang Province was quick to thank them for their desire to continue the fight, only to ask to be made the commander-in-chief of the force. Neither men were happy, but since most of the troops were technically his, neither protested. Chen Wen was able to diminish any frustration by heavily relying on Liu Siyuan on battleplans, allowing the scion of the Han to continue playing a heavy role in the army. Meanwhile, Huang Zu was reconfirmed as the leader of the vanguard, which was enough to pacify him. Liu Siyuan, happy that he was relied upon, still felt a bit miffed that he was now basically a subordinate.

Whatever plans the three men had when they entered battle in late August unraveled in the span of seconds. Each man had a goal, one that did nothing to serve the overall strategy that they needed to apply. Chen Wen went berserk and jumped in the battle, with dozens of men dying just to try to get him out of the mess he found himself in. Huang Zu simply wanted to charge into the enemy and hope for the best, which only resulted in the worst. As for Liu Siyuan, he had his mind on finding Mi Fang. Along a small cavalry force, he made his way through the battlefield in search of his rival, leaving the actual command of the troops to Jiang Gong. He did finally find Mi Fang and his bodyguards, but that necessitated making his way to the back of the enemy force. While Liu Siyuan did slew many men in his way, there was simply too much for his small strike force to handle, and he was unable to reach his enemy. In a last ditched effort before he was forced to retreat, he threw his spear at Mi Fang. The throw was powerful enough to reach Mi Fang’s horse, throwing the general to the ground, but leaving him otherwise unarmed. Once he made his way back, Liu Siyuan realized the situation they were in. Seeing that they were losing, he ordered a retreat, which resulted in the ires of Huang Zu once they were all in safety.

Unlike Liu He, Mi Fang had no qualms about taking the initiative following his victory. He immediately ordered a chase of the rebels. But Hu Zan quickly learned of the defeat Chen Wen had suffered and sent the men he had recruited to slow down Mi Fang. He wouldn’t be able to fight Mi Fang in an actual pitched battle, so he instead launched a few precises assaults on Mi Fang’s camp and supply lines as to hurt the Xu troops. While this wasn’t as damaging as he had hoped, this did work in slowing down Mi Fang, who had to stop his pursuit to come back and defend his positions from Hu Zan’s little attacks. By then though, the young general had already begun to retreat back to his own positions, leaving Mi Fang to do his own things. This little incident convinced Mi Fang that he needed to build up a foothold in the region and began taking over the cities on the border. This allowed Mi Fang to gain a base into Chen Wen’s territories.

The rebel army had been routed, but not destroyed. Hu Zan was quick to send messengers to establish contact with them so they could coordinate their efforts. It seemed that while Huang Zu blamed Liu Siyuan for his focus on Mi Fang without taking any blame, everyone else had realized that they had made mistakes. While it angered him, Liu Siyuan agreed that they should focus on strategies and that Mi Fang should not be his priority, which was a relief to his advisor Jiang Gong. Chen Wen, while still willing to lead troops into battle, was convinced that he should let most of the planning and the overall command to his subordinates. Finally, Hu Zan arrived with reinforcement to help in September. Hu Zan was quick to maneuver himself into a position of authority. He believed himself to be the best shot at victory they had, a belief only confirmed by Yang Weili’s capture and the recent failure against Mi Fang. Chen Wen was quick to give him a command after he learned of his efforts to slow down Mi Fang, to Huang Zu’s annoyance.

While the rebels were getting their shit together, the Xu army was facing difficulties. The barbarian forces which had been so instrumental to the recent victories had begun to cause problems among the regular troops. Brawls and disputes often erupted which only hindered morale. Now, it wasn’t to say that the rebels didn’t have problems on that front either. The soldiers were deserting each day, and within two months Chen Wen had lost a few hundred men, leaving him with even less men he had following their defeat, even including Hu Zan’s reinforcements. But the rebels’ leadership was finally uniting, while Mi Fang had far more difficulties handling the barbarian chieftains than Liu He did. Unlike his predecessor, Mi Fang was unwilling to bribe the barbarians into submission, something they had become accustomed under Liu He.

When the two armies met again in late October, it was unsure who would come out on top. The rebels had decided to go back on the offensive, even with their numerical inferiority. They had built a new strategy to push back Mi Fang’s army and finally win a battle. They hoped. The fact Mi Fang had 700 more troops certainly didn’t help their confidence. But Mi Fang had difficulties planning an efficient defense the unruly barbarians causing him problems. This issue would prove even worst than anticipated, as the barbarians ran head first into the rebel forces, confident of their victory considering how things went last time. Mi Fang, who had no plan to support them, decided to teach them a lesson by letting them go alone. This dispute among the leadership led to a total defeat of the Xu forces. Almost half of their troops were slaughtered, the majority of the casualties coming from the barbarians. Mi Fang, surprised by this, found himself forced to retreat out of the rebel’s territories.

Following the battle, one man in particular received attention for his conduct during the fighting. While all the commanders did a good showing (except Chen Wen, who again almost got himself killed), it was a lower ranked officer who got the honor of leading an encirclement that allowed the rebels to destroy the barbarians. The young officer, named Su Ta, had proven himself extremely valuable and efficient. Chen Wen even praised him and offered him a position of choice at his side. This shocked Hu Zan, who feared that a new rival had suddenly appeared. So during the celebrations he went to talk to Su Ta and convinced him that serving Chen Wen wasn’t a good idea and that he should instead serve a more “righteous and competent lord”. Su Ta, who had no ambition of his own, followed Hu Zan’s advice and refused Chen Wen’s rewards, instead offering his services to Liu Siyuan’s goals of restoring the Han to its full power. Liu Siyuan gladly welcomed Su Ta among his staff, which left Chen Wen mightily miffed.

The catastrophic defeat of Mi Fang had led many to look at Xu Province with appetite. Already weakened due to the revolt, its forces had been greatly reduced following the recent battle. It might be a good opportunity to attack them. Administrator Liu Yi of Runan Commandery certainly thought that this was a good opportunity to strike. Ever since Yu Province had collapsed a few months ago, Liu Yi had been eying Anyang, which was under the direct control of Governor Tao Shang of Xu Province (although managed by Mi Zhu, Mi Fang’s older brother). Now that Xu Province was on the defensive against the rebels, Liu Yi decided to strike and launched his armies toward Anyang in December, with his troops entering the county the following month. He hoped that by securing this territory he would be powerful enough to regain the former provincial capital diplomatically, which would then allow him to move against his other neighbor to the north, Xiao Ru.

The arrival of Liu Yi complicated things for everyone, as few knew what he wanted exactly. Tao Shang certainly panicked and ordered the barbarians to come defend Anyang. Mi Fang was vehemently against it, but found himself overturned due to his own brother, Mi Zhu desiring troops to defend the domain he was administrating. This left Mi Fang without the necessary troops for a new offensive, which might have been crippling had the rebels not been facing their own massive loss of troops. News of Liu Yi made everyone nervous. At the time, no one knew his objectives. What if he aimed to take territories from the rebels? This was especially on Liu Siyuan’s mind as he learned that Liu Yi’s troops were dangerously close to his own domain. Jiang Gong tried to convince his lord that he needed to go back and defend his lands from this possible threat. Liu Siyuan was hesitant, especially as he saw an opportunity to finally defeat and kill Mi Fang. In the end, worried letters from his wife convinced him that he needed to be home to protect her. Against the pleas of Hu Zan and Chen Wen (and the angry shouts of Huang Zu), Liu Siyuan packed his bags and went home with his troops in early March 195.

Frustrated, but more fired up than ever, Chen Wen ordered an advance into Xu Province, taking the fight into enemy territories. Huang Zu was overjoyed that they were attacking again, and while Hu Zan had his reservations, he jumped at the occasion of securing his place by Chen Wen’s side. Mi Fang did his best to slow their advances, but it was proving extremely difficult as he was sick at the time and was bedridden, leaving his subordinate to handle the strategies. It was in June that the rebel army finally reached the Xu camp. Finding it surprisingly disorganized, Chen Wen ordered an assault, taking the larger army by surprise and inflicting upon them five times more casualties than the rebels would endure. This forced the Xu army to once again flee closer to their inner territories. Soon after their victory, the rebels would learn why the battle had been so easy. The provincial troops were in disarray as Mi Fang had died of slow fever a few hours before the rebels’ arrival. News of his death quickly spread, reaching Liu Siyuan within a month. His shock was only equaled by his anger, cursing Mi Fang for escaping his vengeance. “Even in your death you stop me from achieving my goals.” Liu Siyuan would consider his inability to avenge Liu He one of his greatest failures.

Following this victory and the death of Mi Fang, the rebel army simply assumed that they had won the war and… went home. Seeing the situation, Chen Wen hoped that Tao Shang would simply agree to let him go and made his way back to Hefei. Meanwhile, Hu Zan was going back to his post, once again preparing the border with defenses should this be necessary. However, he also arrogantly believed that their recent victory would be enough to push Tao Shang to the negotiation table. He now expected to be appointed Commandant to ensure the protection of their new border. As for Huang Zu, he still had a war to fight, which was good for him. He was sent north to go fight Liu Yi, who Chen Wen now believed to be an ally of Tao Shang. So everyone left Xu Province while they had the advantage, assuming that the war was won. But… it wasn’t won. Tao Shang, while shocked, refused to give up his southern territories. He decided that he would go take command of the troops themselves, leaving his territories in the hands of his brother Tao Ying.

Huang Zu made his way north to go fight Liu Yi, who was now besieging Anyang at the time. While on his way there, Huang Zu made a stop in Liu Siyuan’s territories, where he and his troops were welcomed as the allies they were. Liu Siyuan, while still having issues with Huang Zu, did his best to welcome him as an esteemed guest, even sending a delegation led by Su Ta to welcome him. Instead of being thankful of this welcome, Huang Zu proved to be a difficult guest, never missing an opportunity to complain or belittle his host for self-gratification. Lady Hao, seeing how her husband was having difficulties with Huang Zu, did her best to assist him and keep him calm, ensuring that the two men saw as little of each other’s as possible. It did not stop Huang Zu from accusing Liu Siyuan of cowardice during a meal, believing he had fled to his home because he was afraid of Mi Fang.

Tensions rose up as Huang Zu allowed his men to “feed of the land”. Troops started to steal from the local peasantry. Their complains quickly reached Jiang Gong, who brought them to his lord. Liu Siyuan sent his own troops to protect the local populace, which led to difficult situations, even leading the two armies to clash on a few rare occasions. This situation was so unbearable that Liu Siyuan ended up challenging Huang Zu to a duel, unable to bear his affronts any longer. The deal was that Huang Zu would leave should he lose. Huang Zu arrogantly agreed, believing that Liu Siyuan’s reputation was exaggerated. To Liu Siyuan’s surprise, the older Huang Zu did manage to stand on his own for a little bit, proving that he wasn’t a novice when it came to duels. However, Liu Siyuan still emerged victorious, disarming his opponent with his spear. Huang Zu screamed in anger and refused to concede, declaring Liu Siyuan had cheated somehow. Thankfully, his officers were able to talk him down and he left with his army soon after. As he looked at the troops leaving, Liu Siyuan remarked to Jiang Gong that he found someone he despised to his core. When Jiang Gong replied “Like Mi Fang?”, Liu Siyuan shook his head. “No. I once respected Mi Fang. I could never say the same of General Huang.”

Hu Zan was preparing his defenses when his scouts told him that an army was approaching. He was surprised but wisely sent more scouts to make sure the reports were accurate. Indeed, Tao Shang was approaching with an army. Realizing that the peace they had hoped was not coming, Hu Zan quickly assembled his men and prepared to defend his cities. He sent a first force forward to test the army of Tao Shang in order to evaluate the threat. When the men he sent didn’t come back, he realized that he was in deep trouble. The situation became worst when Tao Shang ignored his defenses and continued into Yang Province. Puzzled, Hu Zan took out a map to see where the enemy force was going. When he realized that Tao Shang was headed straight for Hefei. Seeing no other option, he launched an all-out attack on the army’s back, hoping to surprise it and force it to surrender. While it did take the enemies by surprise, Hu Zan had simply not enough men to make any real damage, only slowing them before he was routed. Fearing that Hefei might fall, Hu Zan decided to move south to build a powerbase from which he could continue the rebellion, should the worst come to pass.

As he moved south, he sent a messenger to Hefei to warn Chen Wen. The Inspector of Yang Province was at the time celebrating what he still believed to be his victory. Su Dai, who was still in charge of defending the provincial capital, was all too happy to celebrate the victory. Defenses were surprisingly relaxed and the messenger easily entered the city. When the messenger arrived, he demanded to meet with Chen Wen as soon as possible. He was instead presented with the old Lu Jun, who read the message and believed it was some sort of joke from Hu Zan. Besides, this didn’t concern him, so he sent the messenger packing. Yang Province was finally at peace, so why bother with some bad joke?

Thankfully, the messenger stuck around, and a few weeks later his insistence caught the attention of Su Dai, who did take the threat seriously. He brought him to Chen Wen, who was angered to hear that Tao Shang was advancing and that Hu Zan had abandoned his post. Still, Chen Wen realized that with Hu Zan assembling troops south and Huang ZU currently fighting Liu Yi in battle up north, he had no army to come to his aid. In the end, he took the advice to flee the provincial capital, soon to be followed by Lu Jun. In early November 195 Chen Wen fled Hefei to join up Hu Zan in the south, leaving only a week before Tao Shang arrived in front of the walls of the city. As soon as he arrived, the Governor of Xu Province started a siege, putting the rebels in a disastrous position as their former seat of power was at his mercy.

 

[Zamarak500]

193-195: TAKING DOWN THE BANDITS​

Lü Bu had defeated the small chieftains on his northern border and taught the Northern Xiongnus a lesson they were not going to forget. But it was obvious that such a man would not stay idle for long without a war to fight, without a battle to add to his personal myth. Thankfully, the Inspector of Bing Province had the perfect target. Some of his cities had been the victims of raids from bandits over the years, stealing the local resources and harassing the local garrisons. This had been a growing annoyance for Lü Bu, yet one he had tried to ignore while he focused on fighting the barbarians up north. But now the Black Mountain Bandits were proving to be a thorn in his side. They had already been a problem during the campaign against the White Wave Bandits in 190, when Guo Si failed to crush them. The fact that the bandits held massive territories on his border was also something he could not tolerate. So in December 193, Lü Bu declared that he would eradicate Zhang Yan and his Black Mountain Bandits from the face of the Earth.

It was just as he was assembling his troops to march against the Black Mountain Bandits that Lü Bu received news from Guo Si. The general had rebelled against Dong Huang in order to free himself from Luoyang’s influence and demanded his help. The timing was terrible, as Lü Bu was about to march on his own campaign. Leaving now to go fight south would surely allow Zhang Yan to run amuck throughout Bing Province without anyone to stop him. But more than any strategic need was Lü Bu’s envy. He was the true heir of Dong Zhuo, the one who should be heroically leading this revolt for independence. With Guo Si now in the spotlight, Lü Bu had little insensitive to go fight this war alongside the general, preferring to focus on his own campaign which would give him far more personal glory. However, he kept being pestered by his Commandant Xu Rong, who insisted that they needed to free themselves from Dong Huang. This insistence was beginning to slow their progresses, so Lü Bu began to act violently toward his second-in-command.

Seeing an opportunity, Xuan Su decided to act to remove the only individual standing between him and his place at Lü Bu’s side. Having Lü Bu get frustrated at Xu Rong was good, but actually having him get angry at his Commandant might be an issue. Xu Rong was still popular with the troops, so pushing him too far right here would cause problem. Better to have him sent away for a while so he could work on severing the ties between the Inspector and the Commandant from a distance. Xuan Su thus advised Lü Bu to allow Xu Rong to lead some troops south to help. “If General Xu wishes to go fight a worthless war, then let him.” Xuan Su whispered to Lü Bu’s ear. “Let him go south while you destroy a real threat.” So Lü Bu sent Xu Rong with troops to help Guo Si instead of going himself, despite Xu Rong’s pleas. Xuan Su then sent assassins disguised as bandits to kill Xu Rong, hoping to pin it on the Black Mountain Bandits. However, the assassins got lost on their way and never reached Xu Rong, instead coming back to Xuan Su, who quickly had them all killed to stop anyone from learning of this attempt.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yan also had problems with this campaign, outside of the obvious one that was being invaded of course. At the time of Lü Bu declaration that he was going to annihilate the bandit threat on his border, Zhang Yan was already in the middle of his own campaign against You Province and its Inspector, the similarly named Liu Yu. Liu Yu was in the middle of defending his eastern borders from repeated barbarian attacks, which meant his western border was pretty much defenceless. Zhang Yan, seeing an opportunity, decided to expand north and marched into You Province, hoping to have an easy time. And in many ways, he did, as Liu Yu was far too occupied east to listen reports of a bunch of bandits entering the province. Even when his Commandant Ding Kai advised him to send some troops to defend against the Black Mountain Bandits, Liu Yu simply ignored the issue. He especially didn’t want to let his more skilled subordinate out of his sight, considering that the last time he had done so was with Gongsun Zan, who now controlled Ji Province. So everything was going well for Zhang Yan until he learned of Lü Bu’s army assembling.

Thankfully for the bandit leader, it took a while for Lü Bu to assemble his forces, in due part to the absence of his Commandant. Bureaucracy had never been his thing, so he instead relied on Xuan Su to ensure that the army was ready. While Xuan Su had an easy time assembling the troops from his own domain, it took a few months for everyone to be equipped and ready for the war. This delay annoyed Lü Bu to the highest level, and at one point he even reconsidered the idea of going to fight south. Thankfully, Xuan Su was able to talk him out of it, reminding him that Guo Si would simply use him to get all the credit. This was enough to convince the Inspector of Bing Province to wait for his own war.

Lü Bu’s boredom was also diminished by the arrival of Zhang Yang, a local administrator of Bing who came to participate in the campaign. Zhang Yang had been in charge of his commandery for almost a decade now and remembered Lü Bu from before he joined up with Dong Zhuo, although they had had little contacts at the time or since. His territories were among the ones most hurt by the bandit raids and now wished to pay them back in kind. He had been unable to protect the people under his care, so he hoped to be of use to Lü Bu against the bandits. Lü Bu found in Zhang Yang another no nonsense warrior like him, and the two men quickly hit it off. Soon they were planning strategies and working together. This annoyed Xuan Su to no end, but for now he was still seen as Lü Bu’s most trusted follower. For now.

They entered the territories of the Black Mountain Bandits in late April 194 searching for a fight. But if Lü Bu expected a great battle where he could shine in victory then he was sorely disappointed. Zhang Yan had taken the decision to focus on his northern campaign instead of risking a fight with Lü Bu, a tactic that was actually proving to be extremely useful for him. With the absence of You forces, Zhang Yan was easily taking villages and cities, his bandits getting closer and closer to occupying the region. Meanwhile, the men he had behind in his own territories had no desire to risk their necks without their leader around to lead them, so they hid away and made sure to avoid Lü Bu’s far larger army. Instead, small bandit groups harassed isolated groups of soldiers and made managing the supply lines a living hell for Lü Bu’s officer core.

The inability to fight a battle forced the Bing forces to focus on another aspect of war: sieges. And Lü Bu never liked the slow pacing of siege warfare. Neither did General Zhang Yang, who had hoped to make the bandits pay for their crimes against the people of his Commandery. Instead, everyone spent the whole of 194 taking villages and cities that were nominally under the control of the bandits. It wasn’t exactly a difficult task, though, as many were all too happy to rid themselves of the Black Mountain Bandits, who were coercing some of the cities into supporting them. Others were more difficult to deal with as they saw Zhang Yan and his men as liberators who freed them from the central Han government. These often felt Lü Bu’s frustration as he unleashed his men following successful sieges. By the end of the year, they had managed to take Zhang Yan’s main base, for all the good it did them. By the time they had finally taken the city, it had been completely abandoned by the bandits and their supporters.

But there was something good to come out of Lü Bu’s growing anger, at least when Xuan Su was concerned. Xu Rong had continuously sent letters to tell Lü Bu of the advances he was making south, of how the campaign was actually going great! But these letters never made it to Lü Bu, instead ending up in the hand of Xuan Su. And Xuan Su wasn’t happy. If Lü Bu heard of the successes against Dong Huang while he was stuck in a long war against the bandits, he might pin this all on Xuan Su, maybe even kill him for convincing him to not go help Guo Si. So instead he decided to finally get rid of Xu Rong. It was far too easy to convince the already frustrated Lü Bu that Xu Rong was secretly conspiring with Guo Si. A whisper here, a made-up proof there, and soon Lü Bu was convinced that his Commandant was a traitor. The Inspector of Bing Province sent envoys to have Xu Rong executed by the other officers. Not wishing to leave it to chance, Xuan Su sent envoys to Guo Si to convince him that Xu Rong was actually in cohort with Dong Huang, just to make sure he didn’t actually join force with Guo Si. And just to be doubly sure, Xuan Su replaced Lü Bu’s envoys with assassins. The fact that Xu Rong still managed to evade everyone and join Duan Wei was frustrating news for Xuan Su.

Never the less, he had finally disposed of his rival and secured his place by Lü Bu’s side. A new Commandant now had to be appointed. While Lü Bu at first considered the General Zhang Yang as replacement, Xuan Su was quick to intervene. Having Zhang Yang as Commandant would just get him back to square one. Instead, he maneuvered to have a local Administrator of little talent appointed, using the excuse that appointing a long serving local would endear Lü Bu to his subjects. The real reason was that Xuan Su wanted someone that would need him to actually do the job, a powerless puppet to serve his ambitions.

This worked perfectly… Too perfectly, in fact. Since he was the one actually doing the Commandant’s job, most of the slow-paced war became his problem, with all the anger of Lü Bu now falling on him. Xuan Su tried his best to ensure that the war was as brutal as possible for Lü Bu’s tastes, but there was no glory to be found. News of Guo Si’s victory and then of Dong Huang’s fall only worsened Lü Bu’s mood, as he felt like he had missed his chance to play a key part in these events. By March 195, Lü Bu was thoroughly annoyed with Xuan Su’s attempts to calm him. During one strategic meeting, where Xuan Su advised patience, the Inspector of Bing angrily told him that he could go be patient back in Bing Province. Xuan Su, surprised by this sudden order to return home, asked his lord to reconsider. But this only made Lü Bu shout that Xuan Su had to go back to Bing to defend the border or administrate the province in his absence or fucking expand his territories! Xuan Su thus left the army camp and went back home, with full intention of doing the later…

Xuan Su’s loss in favor was in great part due to the entrance of another player in this war. Zhang Yan hadn’t only harassed Bing Province, and the people of Ji Province had also decided they had enough of this mess. The old general Tan Weiping, on Gongsun Zan’s orders, launched a campaign against Zhang Yan and the Black Mountain Bandits in order to reclaim his territories. Zhang Yan’s domain was technically in Ji Province, after all. Tan Weiping, who had recently been replaced by the far younger Yuan Tan in Gongsun Zan’s inner circle, hoped that this campaign would convince his lord that he had been wrong in dismissing him. When Lü Bu learned of this, he was enraged. They had barely been making progresses in more than a year and now they had to compete with someone else? He sent angry missives to Tan Weiping commanding him to stop his campaign. The old man simply answered that these were Ji territories and that it was about time they were reincorporated in the province.

Meanwhile, Liu Yu’s general Ding Kai had enough of letting Zhang Yan run free into the western part of You Province. Against the orders of his lord, “The Winged Tiger” took a thousand men and marched back west to go take back the territories held by the bandits. Now that an actual army was coming to block his so far unopposed advance, Zhang Yan and the Black Mountain Bandits began to reconsider their position. Before, they could at worst seek satisfaction in conquering some of You Province, even if it meant losing their previous territories. Now though, it looked like they were going to lose everything. Ding Kai might have only a thousand men, but he was a powerful general whose abilities were feared in the north. Beating him might prove difficult. So instead, Zhang Yan took the decision of marching back south and defend his current territories.

But it didn’t mean that Zhang Yan wanted to fight. First, he wanted to secure back his lands and ensure he had a strong base from which to work against his invaders. He masterfully evaded both Lü Bu and Tan Weiping for months as the occupied cities opened their gates to him, welcoming him as a liberator. Lü Bu’s violence certainly helped swing the territories back to Zhang Yan, which only enraged the Inspector of Bing more and more. This tactic might have allowed Zhang Yan to stretch this war for years until scouts from the Bing force got lucky and spotted his encampment in early November 195. The Black Mountain Bandits had been forced into a halt due to a pneumonia affecting their leader. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Lü Bu marched his troops in haste to the camp, where he launched a surprise assault against his enemies. With superiority in number, better equipment and the advantage of surprise, the Bing troops easily destroyed Zhang Yan’s army.

And just like that, Lü Bu managed to put an end to the Black Mountain Bandits, having all the captured prisoners executed. Frustratingly, Zhang Yan was not among them. The bandit leader had managed to escape the battle. Realizing that his cause was lost, Zhang Yan simply continued south, disappearing from the north entirely and reappearing in Yang Province right as their civil war was reaching its climax. Lü Bu was quick to incorporate the Black Mountain Bandits territories into his own, believing the war over and the whole affair dealt with. But soon he began to be besieged by letters from You and Ji demanding the territories. Liu Yu argued that he deserved some of the lands as reparation for the problems caused by the Black Mountain Bandits over the last two years. Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan insisted that these lands were part of Ji Province. Now that order had been restored, the territories had to be returned to their rightful ruler. Lü Bu scoffed at these demands and went home, sending arrogant replies that did nothing to ease the new tensions. The dispute over these lands would only prove to be the start, however, and within two years the three warlords would be embroiled into war for control of the north.

_______________________________________________________
PS: Next chapters (always subject to change). Honestly, these lists are more for me so I remember what is coming and in what order.

1. Yuan Shu’s war with the Celestial Masters (193-195)
2. Duan Wei’s war with the Celestial Masters (195)
3. What has been happening in Liang since the independence of Guo Si to early 196. (194-196)
4. Duan Wei's short war with a small warlord (196)
5. Xuan Su's little war with his neighbour (195-196)
6. The climax of the independence war down south (195-196)
7. Xiao Ru's war with Li Yi of Runan (195-196)
8. First part of Pan Zheng's voyages through China (195-196)
9. Gongsun Zan's war to vassalize Jibei (195-196)

 

[Zamarak500]

193-195: YUAN SHU AGAINST THE CELESTIAL MASTERS​

Feng Zian and Tan Zilong were dealing with a difficult situation in June 193. Yuan Shu was stuck in his capital, besieged by the fanatics of the Way of the Celestial Masters and their barbarian tributaries. Meanwhile, the two generals had a demoralized army that was too weak to do anything against the invaders. They didn’t have the troops to go fight the enemies, and even if they did the soldiers wouldn’t want to follow them right now. To all this was added the threat of Jing Province, which was still breathing down their necks from the south, ready to strike whenever they moved away. So it was both with relief and surprise that they received news of Inspector Chen Wen of Yang’s successful conquest of the southern province. This put a lot less strain on them, removing a potential enemy of the map. While Feng Zian didn’t trust this Chen Wen from supply attacking them now that he had Jing Province, Tan Zilong correctly predicted that Chen Wen would probably enter into conflict with his overlord Tao Shang now that he had more territories.

Yuan Shu might rage once he learned that Jing Province had been conquered by someone else, but among the soldiers this was simply great news. Now they only had one enemy to fight, zealots and barbarians coming from the west. Feng Zian could finally focus on saving his lord. However, this would require preparing his men and raising a few more troops. So he tried to motivate his men, to get them ready to fight while Tan Zilong went through the countryside recruiting soldiers. His passion seemed to have some effect on them and morale got better, although his outbursts against their lack of discipline almost undid the good will he had just gained. His attitude was sometimes getting on his men’s nerves, and had Tan Zilong not returned with new recruits, the mood might have soured against the famed scholar. Tan Zilong was happy to have been able to recruit a few hundred men, believing that they now had a shot at saving their lord. Meanwhile, Feng Zian complained that the new recruits weren’t trained enough for battle, blaming Tan Zilong for it.

Thankfully, Tan Zilong casually shrugged this off and the two men went back to saving Yuan Shu. Both began to plan a strategy to retake the seat of their lord, which was still besieged by the zealots of the Way of the Celestial Masters. Tan Zilong wanted a complex strategy to attack the supply lines of the enemies, remove their path of exit, demoralize them and THEN strike them down. However, Feng Zian found this strategy far too slow. The city might fall in the meantime. No, it was better to go in with a frontal assault and destroy the enemy by using surprise to their advantage. Still, he knew that Tan Zilong was technically his superior, so he would respect hierarchy should Tan Zilong enforce his authority. Bu the de facto Commandant was wise enough to know that this would only divide them, and instead chose to accept Feng Zian’s plan.

Never the less, Tan Zilong insisted that they needed information. One had to know the enemy better than it knew itself, after all. “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy”, as the Art of War said. So he sent Chang Nu with a small force as reconnaissance to find out what was the situation. Chang Nu was still recovering from battle wounds which had left him disfigured, the right side of his face being covered with scars. Still, he took the job, even if he grumbled and passed his frustration on his men. He was able to gain some good intel, finding out that the besiegers weren’t exactly in the best shape themselves, even with their larger army. Discipline had fallen to a new low in their ranks as they angrily awaited Yuan Shu’s surrender. And then there were the barbarians which composed most of their army. These were proving unruly, often leaving camps to go pillage the countryside.

Meanwhile, Feng Zian tried to rally the local magistrates to their cause, insisting that it was their duty to come to their lord’s aid. However, he found them unwilling to cooperate, preferring to see who would emerge victorious of this little struggle. This angered Feng Zian to no end and he began unleashing his men on the domain of the magistrates, punishing them for what he saw as betrayal. While this did nothing to help their overall cause, these small successes did bolster’s the morale. When Chang Nu returned, he was all too happy to violently force the magistrates back in line, doing the dirty work for Feng Zian and Tan Zilong to ensure that they had access to the full resources of the local cities.

It was finally in late September 193 that they moved in on the enemy. Tan Zilong decided that disinformation was the key, so he disseminated messages that their goal was actually to attack the territories of the Celestial Masters, hoping this would force the enemies to abandon their siege. This led to panic among the besiegers, although they still remained in place. However, they did launch a failed assault on the walls of the city, which considerably downed their morale. Then Feng Zian led the vanguard at night, attacking the besiegers while they slept. Feng Zian was eventually pushed back, but he did enough damages to even the odds a little bit when the true fighting came the next day. Chang Nu and Feng Zian were able to maneuver around the barbarians to isolate them from the zealots, which allowed them to force the Di barbarians into an early retreat while Tan Zilong defeated the army of the Celestial Masters. Victory was theirs.

Soon after the victory, Feng Zian sent envoys to Yuan Shu to tell him that they had chased the enemies away. However, Yuan Shu was just as suspicious as ever and believed this was a ploy from the besiegers, choosing to instead cower inside the walls and refuse them entrance. This annoyed Fen Jian and Chang Nu, who sent another envoy that was once again rebuffed. Yuan Shu believed himself far too smart to fall into that kind of trap! The men were beginning to growl, as they had expected resupply from inside the walls. Frustration ran high enough that Chang Nu actually put the city back under siege for two days until Feng Zian realized what was happening and gave Chang Nu a beating (which was a good way to vent his own frustration as he hadn’t practiced his martial arts in a while). It took a full week for Yuan Shu to finally accept that this wasn’t a ploy and that his men had really saved him.

Not that he was thankful for it. When he received Feng Zian, he criticized him for not coming to his rescue right away, unaware of all the problems they had to deal with from the betrayal of Sun Jian onward. While he had many times come to his lord’s defense, the scholar had no intention of taking these insults lying down. He went ham on his lord, screaming at him and criticizing his insolence. “You treated Colonel Sun like dirt and he betrayed you! I stood by you and saved you from your enemies, yet you treat me in the same way! SHOULD I HAVE ACTED LIKE SUN JIAN AND ABANDON YOU?” This was enough to make Yuan do a one-eighty. He now praised Feng Zian for saving him and thanked him for his service, giving him rewards and gifts and declaring that he was truly his greatest hero. While this calmed Feng Zian, this also stroke his growing ego, which would only continue to grow in the coming months.

Zhang Lu wasn’t happy when he learned of his army’s failure to take over the region. He sent a letter to his liege Liu Yan of Yi Province asking for help in his conquest, but was rebuffed. Liu Yan was at the time dealing with a barbarian revolt in the south led by Meng Shamoke. When the soldiers returned to their master, Zhang Lu chastised them for failing to take Yuan Shu’s territories. The betrayal of Sun Jian had given them the perfect opportunity and they blew it. This was especially problematic as neighbors had began to attack Zhang Lu in the absence of his army. He needed that victory now more than ever, but couldn’t spare his returning men. Thankfully, he could still send the Di barbarians that served him. And so he did, ordering them to take some of the border villages as a first step toward taking over Yuan Shu’s territories.

What Zhang Lu hadn’t realized was that the barbarians in his service had been massively hurt by the victory of Feng Zian, with many of the survivors fleeing in the night. This left a few hundred men to go do the job of a few thousands. Still, when news of a barbarian army crossing the border reached Yuan Shu, he immediately dispatched Feng Zian and Chang Nu to go deal with it, leaving Tan Zilong with him to assure the defense of the capital should the worst come to pass. Feng Zian met the armies in February 194. He outnumbered the barbarians six to one, making this whole affair an especially easy one. It was more of a slaughter than a battle. Following this success, Feng Zian began to feel like he was the best general Yuan Shu had at his disposal. So he sent Chang Nu to demand that he be appointed Commandant. He deserved it, after all. The scarred man was enough to convince Yuan Shu that yes, Feng Zian was clearly deserving of this new position!

This left the issue of Tan Zilong, on who the position of Commandant had felt following the betrayal of Sun Jian. Yuan Shu found a solution to this by “promoting” him to a more administrative post by his side. Just to make sure there were no tensions, Feng Zian was quickly assigned to organize the defense of the border with the Celestial Masters after he was made Commandant, only coming back to Yuan Shu’s capital to accept his posting and leave his wife (who would give birth to his second son a few months later). His excuse was that the border camps weren’t a place to raise children, but both knew that he just wanted his wife out of the way so he could enjoy women on the border. And now that he was a powerful official and a hero, he could surely find himself something better than whores! His wife was annoyed but could do little to oppose his decision.

While Feng Zian reorganized the troops on the border Tan Zilong reforms the administration of Yuan Shu’s territories, wanting to make sure that they were efficiently run and wouldn’t fall prey to the kind of problems that had happened over the last few years. The bureaucracy of the commandery certainly had broken down due to all this war happening within the territory. This could not stand, and Tan Zilong made sure that things went back to running smoothly, including taxes. There were a lot of back taxes that had to be paid, and Tan Zilong ruthlessly made sure that everyone paid. Had the peasantry not been cowered into submission, they might have revolted due to these new taxes. And then there were the local officials and administrators. Yuan Shu hadn’t forgotten how they had abandoned him and now worked all year to punish them. He was too cowardly to actually replace them, but he still diminished their power greatly, ensuring that they would never be any threat to him in the future. These reforms, to which was added new recruitment and training of troops by Feng Zian, took the rest of 194.

It was thus only in 195 that Feng Zian was allowed to launch an offensive against the Celestial Masters. On multiple occasions he had sent requests to do so over the previous year, but Yuan Shu had refused. Even now, he feared the idea of letting his generals lead victorious campaigns, doubly so when his territories were in shamble. But now that he had stabilized his domain and made sure to keep troops behind in case Feng Zian followed in Sun Jian’s path, he was more than willing to take the fight to the Celestial Masters. With some luck he might even be able to expand in their territories! Feng Zian soon realized as he entered enemy territories that he was far from the only one attacking the Celestial Masters. By 195 half a dozen people were trying to invade the Zhang Lu’s territories, with Feng Zian being only one of them. He did have the advantage of quickly finding the army of the Celestial Masters, allowing him to gain another victory for Yuan Shu.

However, all this victory did was open the door to the other invaders, who quickly began to besiege all towns in sight. This included the imperial armies of Duan Wei, the new Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. Seeing some use in Feng Zian, Duan Wei sent him a letter offering him to switch side and join up with the imperial army. His services were wasted under Yuan Shu. Surely a great general like him deserved more, like serving the Emperor himself (or, more accurately, serving Duan Wei). Feng Zian felt insulted by this assumption that he would easily abandon Yuan Shu like Sun Jian had done and sent the messenger packing. He was doubly angry when he learned that Duan Wei had made similar offers to the other generals trying to conquer the Celestial Masters, with similar results. Feeling insulted that Duan Wei had simply seen him as “one among many generals”, Feng Zian sent a missive to the Chancellor telling him that if he should leave the region or be destroyed on sight. Duan Wei wasn’t impressed, but never the less made sure not to go fight any useless battles he didn’t have to.

Toward the middle of the year, Feng Zian was surprised by the arrival of a scholar and his family in his camp. The young scholar, named Pan Zheng, was fleeing the chaos of Yi Province and seeking a place elsewhere. All too happy to have a fellow scholar by his side, Feng Zian encouraged the young man to stay and talk with him. Feng Zian was happy to be able to debate the classics and other schools of thoughts with someone younger, to impair his knowledge on others. But his attitude toward Pan Zheng turned sour as it became clear that the younger scholar knew far more than he did, something Pan Zheng couldn’t stop himself from commenting upon. His honesty was just as annoying as his refusal to admit the superiority of Feng Zian’s arguments, even though Feng Zian was his elder and a famed military scholar. It only took a few weeks for Pan Zheng to definitively alienate Feng Zian, who sent him packing in Yuan Shu’s direction. “My lord might have time to waste on your insolence, but I have a war to run!” he said, his ego clearly bruised by Pan Zheng’s attitude. But even with Pan Zheng gone as a distraction there was no war to fight. Only useless sieges. Feng Zian found himself besieging this or that town until December 195, when one of the other invaders managed to take most of the territories and get Zhang Lu’s surrender, which Yuan Shu used as an excuse to recall him.

 

[Zamarak500]

195: DUAN WEI AGAINST THE CELESTIAL MASTERS​

Duan Wei had played his cards right and now stood as the undisputed Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. He had betrayed Dong Huang right when it mattered and had secured control of Luoyang and the Emperor. By presenting himself as a restorer, he had also managed to pacify those that had rebelled against Dong Huang, ensuring that they accepted his rule. With the removal of Dong Zhuo’s murderers from any position of power, Duan Wei could rest easy knowing that he had free reign over the capital. While he reveled in the power he had and knew that he deserved it, Duan Wei also knew that it might not last forever if he did nothing to keep it. If Dong Huang was brought down by his inability to protect the integrity of the Han, then it seemed logical that military successes would help secure his power. And there was already one perfect target: Zhang Lu and the Celestial Masters. The sect had seized a commandery with the help of Governor Liu Yan of Yi Province, an illegal seizure of imperial territories. With Liu Yan currently facing barbarian and peasant revolts, it was an excellent time to strike. Only a week after his seizure of power, the new Chancellor ordered a campaign against the zealots, ready to restore Han suzerainty over these territories.

Duan Wei was quick to send his Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies, Xu Rong, to go assemble troops on the western border. He wanted the troops ready as fast as possible. Xu Rong accepted the assignment and quickly went to go lead the troops in the early stages of the war, happy to finally have a liege who trusted him. Niu Fu was also ordered to go with him to help. The virtuous general tried to ask the Chancellor to be allowed to stay due to the coming events in the Imperial Capital, but Duan Wei refused (as it was why he wanted him out). Duan Wei impressed on Niu Fu his new duties until the Chancellor’s arrival, saying “General, you have aduty so important that once upon a time Dong Zhuo himself could not do it right, instead allowing me to accomplish this difficult task. It is one reserved to the elites, like you and me. A duty you clearly showed that you deserved. It is one that build character, that is given only to men deserving of the greatest honors!”

He placed him in charge of supply.

Niu Fu was a bit disappointed to be sent away from the capital, but willingly complied with the orders of the Chancellor. On his way, he was able to talk at length with his new comrade Xu Rong, with who he had little interactions up until that point. Xu Rong was a brave man who had previously served Dong Zhuo loyally while Niu Fu was a Han loyalist with a desire to restore the glory of the Han. Yet the two men were able to gain some mutual respect of one another due to their virtues, their diligence and their military skills. Niu Fu, who had been a bit paranoid due to his assignment, found his fears alleviated by his time with Xu Rong on the road. Their nice trip was interrupted however when news came that the army had already been defeated. While waiting for their arrival, the troops assembled west had been surprised by the arrival of Zhang Lu’s army, fresh of their defeat at the hand of Feng Jian. The arriving army, while two time smaller, took the imperial forces by surprise, and one officers lost his nerves and ordered a retreat. Unwilling to let this retreat turn into a rout, Xu Rong and Niu Fu went their separate ways to regroup the troops and reorganize their forces.

It didn’t take long for the people of Luoyang to learn of what had happened. Duan Wei, in a moment of arrogance, had actually allowed the messengers to tell the news in front of the court, hoping that it would be news of a great victory. Instead, he only made a fool of himself. Now it sounded like he couldn’t do better than Dong Huang. He really wished to go to the frontline and fix this, but he was already stressed enough with the preparations for the Emperor’s marriage. Plans for this had been underway ever since the warlord Sun Jian agreed to have his daughter marry the Emperor, one of the few strokes of genius from Dong Huang. The marriage was actually scheduled for 194, but Dong Huang always had to postpone it due to the conflict with Guo Si and then the revolt against his rule. While Duan Wei wasn’t keen on the idea of allowing Sun Jian to become the Emperor’s father-in-law, breaking the betrothal would make Sun Jian an enemy. At the time, Duan Wei couldn’t afford to alienate another neighbor considering he already had Guo Si, Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan right next to him. And besides, overseeing such event as the marriage and ascension of an Empress would give him much needed respect among the officials.

But Duan Wei wasn’t the only one looking forward to this event. The giant Jiang Xian had survived the recent struggle against Dong Huang, yes, but he was now completely out of power. He was allowed in court sessions, yes, but he was at the back of the courtiers, only seeable by the Son of Heaven due to his unmistakable size. He shrewdly attempted to present petitions to the Emperor, mostly ones praising the removal of Dong Huang in hope of ingratiating himself to the new Chancellor. However, these were interpreted as praising the Emperor for removing Dong Huang instead of Duan Wei, for which the later took offense. This ended any lingering hope Jiang Xian had of returning to a higher position under the current power. So instead, he hoped to align himself with Sun Jian and the new Empress to help them gain power, and thus rise alongside them.

His plans already went awry the second it started. Sun Jian was extremely sick at the time, so to everyone’s surprise he did not make it to the Imperial Capital for the wedding. Instead, the escort of Sun Shangxiang was led by Sun Jian’s trusted officer and friend Cheng Pu, who was to ensure the security of the future Empress and make sure that she was well treated when she arrived. Cheng Pu took an oath that his sole priority would be the wellbeing of the young lady, which put Sun Jian at ease. So when Cheng Pu arrived with the bride, Jiang Xian tried to talk to him about the possibility of an alliance. But Cheng Pu refused, unwilling to do political pacts without the express agreement of Sun Jian. Still, Jiang Xian was able to trick Cheng Pu into coming home for tea one day. Unaware of the current political situation, Cheng Pu accepted the seemingly benign invitation. However, he was forced to annul at the last minute when he told the Chancellor about this upcoming meeting. Duan Wei made it clear that Jiang Xian wasn’t part of the government and shouldn’t be bothered with, unless Cheng Pu wanted to cause a diplomatic incident.

The fourteen years old emperor was thus wed to the twelve years old Sun Shangxiang. The marriage was a great event marked with massive celebrations throughout the city. For many, this was a great distraction from the sieges and the attacks the Imperial Capital had endured over the last months of Dong Huang’s tenure. It was certainly a boost to Duan Wei’s legitimacy that he was able to organize this event, although he had to pay for it himself and worked day and night to make sure it was perfect. Gifts for the Emperor came from all corners of China, like Liu Siyuan, who took the time to send his finest horse and his best silk, even though he was in the middle of a civil war. More worrying for Duan Wei, Shisun Rui made sure to send the most lavishing gifts he could, outshining even those of the Chancellor. As for the imperial couple, things started out quite well. The new Empress’s kindness and beauty left a great first impression on the Emperor, although her lack of care for her appearance in the ensuing years would lower his opinion of her. And this, alongside her support and her greedy desire to have more, would have the unforeseen consequence of having the Emperor get more confident in his dealings with his court, a problem that would become apparent in the incoming years as he reached adulthood.

The marriage now dealt with, Duan Wei announced that he was leaving to go oversee the campaign against the Celestial Masters personally. In his absence, he left the command of the troops in the capital to the old Cao Quan. Cao Quan had been a provincial officer who had risen up over the years, although at a far slower rate than most of his contemporaries. In 194, he was finally given a powerful position by Dong Huang, who appointed him administrator of Zuopingyi Commandery in order to stop the advance of Guo Si. This promotion did not ensure his loyalty, however, as Cao Quan joined Shisun Rui and Niu Fu when they rebelled against the Chancellor. When news came of Duan Wei’s takeover, the old man was among the firsts to stand down and acknowledge him, which is why he was now trusted to keep the city safe. Jiang Xian tried to use the absence of the Chancellor to get close to Cao Quan, hoping the old man would be open to a new coup. While Jiang Xian was persuasive, Cao Quan had received specific instructions not to listen o anything from Dong Zhuo’s murderers. So the stubborn old man focused on his task without deviating from his duties, to Jiang Xian’s chagrin.

While he made his way west, Duan Wei was happy to learn that things were going a bit better. Both Xu Rong and Niu Fu had managed to reorganize their troops and assemble them so they could counterattack. Niu Fu first tried to launch a small raid against the enemies but was rebuffed. Thankfully, he had acted with prudence and suspicion, so he lost little in the skirmish. Xu Rong proved far more successful, pushing back the forces of the Celestial Masters and achieving a quick victory against them. Just in time for Duan Wei to arrive with a few reinforcements. Duan Wei thanked his generals for holding the line in his absence, although he also made it clear that he was now in charge of the whole situation. Xu Rong felt a bit hurt by this, but still fell back in line when Duan Wei began shouting orders to his subordinates.

Duan Wei quickly realized that they were late when it came to annexing the territories of the Celestial Masters, with many armies already besieging the cities held by the zealots. In an attempt to maybe gain new subordinates or make some of these armies flip to his side, the Chancellor began sending missives to all the other generals and officers. If he had hoped that it would see people flock to his side in mass, then he was sorely disappointed. None of the main commanders fighting for the other sides accepted his invitation, refusing to betray their lords or accept his authority over their domains. Only one officer took up the offer and left to go join Duan Wei and the Imperial Army: a 28 years old large brute named Xu Chu. Xu Chu wasn’t good at much else than fighting, so the offer of the Imperial Army seemed like a better place to be than under a small lord with little ambition. Duan Wei was all too happy to welcome such strong man in his force, immediately appointing him General who Manifest Might as a reward for switching side.

However, the war was clearly waning down as the territories of the Celestial Masters were by now overran by the many invaders. After a small battle where Duan Wei crushed the enemies with ease, he declared victory over the sect and packed for home, fully aware that he wouldn’t be able to take the territories. He instead appointed Xu Chu to lead the troops on the border to make sure that the Celestial Masters didn’t try anything until they had been destroyed. He would be proven right on that front, as Zhang Lu and his sect were forced to flee as the territories were taken by rebels in Jing Province, giving much needed resources to the revolt of Chen Wen. Meanwhile, Duan Wei sped up to the capital, where he would plan an immediate new campaign, this time against an enemy he would not have to share with others…

 

[Zamarak500]

194-196: STORIES FROM LIANG​

Liang was now free of Dong Huang’s influence and under the control of Guo Si. For Han Sui, who had always dreamed of freeing Liang Province from the central government, this was his greatest dream come true in a horrible and twisted way. Dong Zhuo had been one of the most brutal generals when it came to repressing the Liang Rebellion, and now one of his subordinates had freed the province and turned it into his personal fiefdom. This was a scary situation the rebel leader found himself in, and he understood perfectly that there was a high chance that he would be the next target. So on the advice of Chenggong Ying, he decided to act first by sending weapons and supply to some of the Di tribes in Liang Province. Han Sui now planned to launch a simultaneous assault to take back Liang Province just as the Di people rose up against Guo Si. If they prepared enough and timed it right, it might be just what they needed to get rid of Dong Zhuo’s generals and free their province once and for all.

As the one in charge of the administrative and management of the rebels’ lands, Mo Jie played a big role in the shipment of weapons and supply to the Di tribes. He made sure to supervise the shipments personally, stubbornly refusing to let Han Sui or Chenggong Ying take some of the workload off his shoulders. So when came the time to ship a massive amount of weapons, Mo Jie insisted that he be allowed to deliver the shipment to the barbarians. Ma Teng was quick to point out that the last time he went alone to go meet barbarians, he was captured and sent as prisoner to one of Guo Si’s generals. Everyone agreed that an escort had to go along with him. Ma Chao volunteered to go, but Han Sui believed that his temper would not prove appropriate to negotiations with the Di tribes With Ma Teng and Chenggong Ying refusing to abandon their duties in the rebel territories, the duty of leading the escort fell onto Wang Bi, the only one who was worse than Mo Jie when it came to speaking his mind.

Wang Bi was extremely prudent during the whole trip, always taking far more precautions than even necessary and making sure there would always be enough soldiers to stop any threat that might come at them. He went so far in his security measures that some began to accuse him of outright cowardice. Wang Bi tried to defend himself against this slander, loudly declaring his innocence, but no one seemed to understand a word of what he was saying. Thankfully, they all reached their destination before this whole affair could degenerate into a bigger issue. Mo Jie and the other rebels were warmly welcomed by the Di tribes, who celebrated their arrival as they awaited their shipment of weapon with impatience. What neither Mo Jie nor Wang Bi realized was that the barbarians were hedging for a fight and could barely wait to rise up in revolt. So when Mo Jie expressed that they had to be ready when the time came, misunderstanding followed. The barbarians understood it as meaning that it was time to rise up against Guo Si. Galvanised by what they saw as the greenlight from Han Sui’s representative, the Di people rose up in revolt in early January 195.

Guo Si was mightily annoyed that the Di tribes dared to revolt against him. He was the master of Liang Province, the successor of Dong Zhuo! Yet, barbarians tried to humiliate him by revolting. He immediately ordered his troops to assemble to go destroy this nuisance. Yao Shuren was quick to volunteer to go help his father-in-law on campaign, but he found himself angrily rebuffed by the drunk Governor. As it turned out, Guo Si had not taken well to the fact that many gave Yao Shuren credit for winning the war with Dong Huang. He was angry to have to share his moment of glory wit his subordinate, eve if that subordinate was family. While Yao Shuren did his best to stay on the good side of his lord by playing the humility card, Guo Si’s alcohol consumption only worsened from that point on. Not wanting to share the glory again, he instead entrusted Yao Shuren with the administration of his provincial capital. This was done at the suggestion of his adoptive daughter Guo Yuyi, who used one of his moments of drunken weakness to convince him to let her husband in charge.

Guo Si instead brought with him his trusted general Hu Zhen, who was still as loyal and supportive as always even if he was the oldest of the former officers of Dong Zhuo still around. For his loyalty, the now almost 50 years old general was rewarded with the position of Administrator of Hanyang Commandery. The position had previously been held by Jin Xuan, but his multiple fuck ups had convinced Guo Si that he was a lost cause and not worth keeping around. This didn’t stop Hu Zhen from suggesting that Jin Xuan be given a second chance. The drunken governor shruggingly agreed, not caring as long as Hu Zhen was the one managing him. Jin Xuan was thankful of the opportunity, and once again reaffirmed his complete loyalty to Guo Si, which did little to make Guo Si care about him. The three of them then departed to go crush the rebels. It only took them a few weeks to crush the revolt and massacrer the rebelling Di barbarians, ruining the plans Han Sui had been working on for the last months.

In the absence of the Governor, Yao Shuren did an excellent job keeping the province running. His wife Guo Yuyi did her best to help him in his duties, which he appreciated as always. Once again, the couple had each other’s back, with Guo Yuyi often writing letters to Guo Si in an attempt to smooth things over between her adoptive father and her husband. She wasn’t the only one to be trying to do so, however, as Hu Zhen also attempted to improve Yao Shuren’s image while on campaign with Guo Si. He understood that Yao Shuren was still Guo Si’s heir, which meant that everything would run smoother if everyone got along. This show of loyalty would be greatly appreciated by Yao Shuren, who would only speak well of the older Hu Zhen from now on. As Guo Si was on his way back, he learned that Dong Huang had been overthrown by Duan Wei of all people, which only soured his mood even more. He began to rile against Heaven and Duan Wei, screaming “That idiot in charge of supply is now ruling the Han while I am still stuck in Liang fighting puny barbarians! How fate can be unfair!”

In the rebel territories, news of the failed revolt did not go well with Han Sui and his allies. This was soon accompanied by the horrible news of Han Sui son’s death at the age of 1. All of this led the aging rebel to recluse himself for the period of mourning, leaving Ma Teng and Chenggong Ying in charge for a few months. The temporary situation only led old disputes to reappear. Any feud they had had been pushed aside to focus on the joint rebellion. Now that it had failed, Ma Teng and Chenggong Ying once again began to argue over who had the most power within the rebel force. Chenggong Ying had never fully accepted the arrival of Ma Teng, who had immediately assumed a position of power equal to his as he was Han Sui’s fellow comrade from the early days of the Liang Rebellion. For Ma Teng, he did not hold a position of equal power to Chenggong Ying; he surpassed him in rank. Ma Teng thus expected Chenggong Ying to be nothing more than a subordinate, and seeing him act like his equal was a problem he often complained to Han Sui. It didn’t mean that he didn’t recognize Chenggong Ying’s talent, on the contrary, just that he thought that the younger man should know his place.

Thus the marriage of Ma Teng’s daughter to Mo Jie, who had been a long time supporter of Han Sui since the early days of the Liang Rebellion, would be the perfect event to bring everyone together. Mo Jie had already won the Ma Clan’s eternal respect by saving them from Guo Si when their territories were conquered. As a reward for saving them, Ma Teng had decided that it was a good idea to arrange this marriage. With Mo Jie being an appreciated member of Han Sui’s inner circle, this allowed him to be the bridge between the two sides of the rebel force. Everyone celebrated this new union, and the event was extremely positive to the morale of the rebels, who really needed something nice following the failure of their recent plan. Mo Jie enjoyed this celebration greatly, although he wanted to quickly go back to work.

Meanwhile, Guo Si was looking south at the current destruction of the Celestial Masters with envy. He especially looked at some of the Di tribes that helped the Celestial Masters. They had recently been destroyed fighting first the forces of Yuan Shu and then the imperial army of Duan Wei. Guo Si saw an opportunity in this. The barbarians were weakened and tired. If he was to attack them now, they wouldn’t be able to resist. His recent experience with the barbarian revolt had convinced him that outright annexation wasn’t a viable option, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t add these barbarians to his subjects. With a quick war, he could find himself with the barbarians paying him tribute and providing him with a new source of revenue and troops for his expansion.

As a devious test to his son-in-law, Guo Si offered him to lead the campaign, even though he had no desire to see Yao Shuren outshine him again. The younger man saw the ruse and dodged it masterfully. Someone else might have suggested that Guo Si instead lead the campaign, as he was the governor. But this would leave Yao Shuren in the provincial capital alone, which Guo Si might perceive as an attempt to amass power in his absence. Instead, he suggested someone unthreatening to lead the campaign, the loyal Hu Zhen. Guo Si agreed with the decision since Hu Zhen’s loyalty and lack of ambitions were well known at this point. Yao Shuren thus passed the test while cultivating the loyalty of Hu Zhen, who was all too happy to lead troops again. And Hu Zhen proved a perfect choice for this campaign. He destroyed what troops the Di still had to oppose him, took their villages quite fast and was back home victorious by December.

As 196 started, the Di barbarians within Liang realized that their people might be stuck under Guo Si forever if they didn’t do something about it. Yes, they had failed last year, and yes, their fellow tribesmen had been forced to submit to their enemy. But it didn’t stop them from trying again. When Guo Si learned of this, he was enraged. Had they not learned their lesson last time? He immediately took his troops and marched them up north, taking Hu Zhen and Jin Xuan with him, just as he had done the previous year. He was going to teach those damn barbarians not to mess with him again. His frustration over the revolt led to him drinking more and more. Hu Zhen tried to keep his liege off the bottle, but this only resulted in angry rants from Guo Si about Hu Zhen sticking his nose in something that he shouldn’t. When they finally faced the barbarians in February 196, Guo Si was completely drunk, and ordered a frontal charge with himself leading it. He took no precaution to protect himself, which made him an easy target for the rebels. All it took was one arrow landing in his neck to throw him off his horse. As he bled on the ground, the cavalry following him trampled over his body, and once the dust of the battle settled it became clear that Guo Si had been dead since the early stages of fighting.

Hu Zhen and Jin Xuan had just achieved complete victory when they were told of Guo Si’s fate, which led to a dispute on how to proceed. Jin Xuan proved a massive annoyance as he decided to remain loyal to his lord until the end. As Guo Si’s wife was pregnant, he wished for the child to succeed Guo Si should it be a boy. Considering the deteriorating relationship between Yao Shuren and Guo Si over the previous year, there was a good chance that the former governor would have also come to this conclusion had he lived. But Hu Zhen insisted that Yao Shuren was now the one in charge of the province, a choice supported by the majority of the troops. Never the less, Jin Xuan broke rank and sent a messenger to warn Guo Si’s wife of her husband’s passing. This saved her life, as she learned of Guo Si’s death before Yao Shuren and fled the provincial capital, rightfully fearing that Yao Shuren would follow his rise to power with a purge of potential rivals. She would indeed give birth to a son, and the two would live in fear and hiding for the rest of their lives. She was long gone when Hu Zhen’s messengers arrived to tell Yao Shuren about what had happened. The strategist could only smile at this news. Five years ago, he had been a minor officer in Dong Zhuo’s army, and now he ruled a whole province. And there was no way he was going to stop there.

 

[Zamarak500]

195-196: A QUICK WAR NEXT DOOR​

Xu Chu had been left on the border after their “victory” against the Celestial Masters, as Duan Wei put it. This was a big exaggeration of the truth, considering that their territories were now under the control of Chen Wen and his Yang rebels. Never the less, morale was high after the few victories of the Imperial Army, and so they were ready to believe whatever Duan Wei sold them. Xu Chu certainly believed that they had won. And now he had received the position of commander of the western border, making sure that no problems came from their new neighbors. Xu Chu took the assignment with zeal and stood still as Duan Wei made his way back to the capital. It didn’t take long for the new general to grow bored in his new post. In an attempt to alleviate his current situation, he often fought with the men, which didn’t please the officers under his command. It quickly stopped being fun for the men too when he started beating them for the most minor offences, just because he wanted an excuse to hit someone. Xu Chu as clearly not made to be garrison commander.

But Duan Wei had already left in a hurry for the capital, leaving the command of the troops to the ever so loyal Niu Fu. Xu Rong offered to take command of the larger army while the Chancellor sped up to the Imperial Capital, but Duan Wei insisted that he wanted his Grand Commandant with him. They would need to quickly assemble troops for his new campaign, after all. The recent war, while a victory on paper, hadn’t produced any gain in territories. This was seen as a big problem by Duan Wei, who had hoped to expand the reach of the Han Dynasty. And then there was the issue of leaving the capital for too long. He had left Cao Quan in charge of it, but who knew how that giant Jiang Xian could manipulate things in his absence? The Chancellor needed to return and resecured his power on the Emperor. And the best way to do that was to have the teenager approve another campaign.

Duan Wei hoped to go meet with Cao Quan upon arrival as he entered Luoyang. Instead, he was quickly met by envoys of the Emperor who requested that the Chancellor immediately come back to the Imperial Palace to do a report on the recent campaign. Taken by surprise, Duan Wei found himself with little choice other than to accept the summon. After all, it was requested by the Emperor himself. Yes, Duan Wei was mightily annoyed that his puppet decided to give him orders all the sudden, but he had to maintain some sense of protocol and court etiquette if he didn’t want to end up murdered like Dong Zhuo. The man leading the envoys also caused Duan Wei to worry about the current situation in the capital. The official who came to meet them to bravely order him around was the old Liu Si, a distant imperial relative of the Emperor. It wasn’t really Liu Si who worried Duan Wei, but the old man’s family. Liu Si’s son was the famed warrior Liu Siyuan. Having the old man now in a position of power made Duan Wei fear that his son was also here, possibly with other imperial relatives ready to challenge his authority.

Having no other choice, he sent Xu Rong to prepare the men and went to meet with the young monarch. The Emperor was awaiting him for a public audience. This was a smart move, either on the teenager’s part or on whoever was advising him. Duan Wei had to be a lot more restrained in public, which hindered his ability to control his puppet. The Emperor was quick to welcome him, to which Duan Wei did the usual bows and said the right things, although he gritted his teeth while doing so. He quickly learned from that Liu Si now occupied the position of Minister Herald, meaning that the stooge he had placed at the head of that ministry had been replaced.

Duan Wei immediately tried to shift things toward a positive note, declaring the complete success of the recent campaign against the sect unlawful occupation of imperial territories. However, the Emperor surprised him by pointing out that a victory without gains was hardly a victory. Duan Wei quickly took back control of the discussion by explaining that this was a victory, considering how awful the imperial army had operated under the traitor Dong Huang. The mention of Dong Huang was enough the make the Son of Heaven remember the way Duan Wei had taken over, and so the young monarch would begrudgingly gave back control of court to his Chancellor out of fear.

Still, this didn’t explain what had happened in his absence. As far as he was aware, his puppet lacked a backbone when he left to go to war. Yet now he openly criticized him at court and appointed his own ministers? Having put off his meeting with Cao Quan long enough, he quickly went to go meet with the older commander who had been left in charge of the capital in his absence. Cao Quan explained who was the one who had started this whole affair, the one that Duan Wei had always been worried about: Jiang Xian. The older man explained how Jiang Xian made overtures toward him in Duan Wei’s absence and how he had rebuffed them each and every time. While the Chancellor was happy with this show of loyalty, it still didn’t explain how things turned out that way. Cao Quan explained that when that didn’t work, Jiang Xian used the court as his new tool to undermine Duan Wei.

The giant began to petition directly to the Emperor, going as far as taking the unprecedented step of “asking for the Son of Heaven’s opinion on issues”. He asked what kind of tea was most appropriate according to the Emperor, if he wanted to hear the scholars of the academy, that kind of nonsense. At first hesitant to act without Duan Wei’s approval, he began to be pushed toward a more active role by Empress Sun following Jiang Xian’s suggestion that the Empress’s salary be doubled. Of course, Jiang Xian was smart enough to never advice something as dangerous as an appointment for himself or the removal of Duan Wei. But when the officer Duan Wei had appointed as Minister Herald fell ill, the snake was quick to suggest the long serving Liu Si as replacement. Cao Quan, who had been put in charge of the garrison, didn’t saw a need to participate in court affairs, which left the field open to Jiang Xian. The Emperor, who already knew the giant as the one who came to him to sign the edict declaring Dong Zhuo a traitor, began to see in him a possible savior from his position as a puppet. And so the Emperor had started to take arbitrary decisions with little oversight.

Duan Wei realized that the situation could get out of hand if he didn’t do something. Now more than ever convinced that he needed to launch another campaign to legitimize his position, he still decided to stay in Luoyang for the rest of the year in order to regain a grip on things. Jiang Xian, who had realized that he would be in the crossfire of the Chancellor, invited him to his home for tea. While he felt confident when Duan Wei accepted, he panicked when he saw the Chancellor arrive in full armor with the Grand Commandant and other soldiers at his side. Duan Wei had been around for the purge of his former lord Dong Zhuo, after all, and Jiang Xian still had nightmares of that stressful time of his life. Thankfully, Duan Wei had no plan to start massacring his opposition… again. What he had done when he overthrew Dong Huang would be hard to justify this time around. So he instead had a “nice talk” with the giant and his wife, explaining how he might need to send Jiang Xian on a diplomatic mission to Liang Province if things continued like that. Considering the previous animosity of Guo Si against him, Jiang Xian understood that this would be a one-way trip and promised to end his efforts to restore imperial power. Duan Wei was forced to accept this as his mind was already moving toward his plans for the next campaign.

Duan Wei also tried to make overtures to Liu Si, not wanting to make an enemy of this new player on the board. And who knew? If he could turn the father to his side, maybe the son would agree to come serve him in the Capital? At the very least, Liu Si accepted to help him serve the Emperor. He feared Duan Wei, but he also trusted the honorable Niu Fu, who had publicly expressed his support for Duan Wei. This was enough for the Chancellor to turn his focus on his planned campaign. Since going west would mean fighting Guo Si, Lü Bu or now Chen Wen, he decided that the best target would be one of the small warlords that came out of the collapse of Yu and Yan Provinces. Restoring imperial authority in these regions would be a great boon to his authority and would secure his position permanently. After much considerations and consultations with Xu Rong, Duan Wei decided that the best target was Administrator Ban Ding of Yingchuan Commandery. The main reason was that Yingchuan Commandery bordered the Imperial Capital, and so could be a threat should anyone conquer it. Or, from what he heard of Ban Ding, the Administrator might take a shot at Luoyang by himself. Better to take it out first.

Duan Wei went in front of the Emperor and explained all these considerations, how Ban Ding was a massive threat to the security of the capital and how he had to be taken out. Once again, he petitioned the Emperor for an imperial campaign against an enemy of the Dynasty. This time the Emperor did not make much fuss and agreed to the campaign against Ban Ding, appointing Duan Wei to go bring back these territories in the imperial fold. In January 196, Liu Si was ordered to send messengers throughout the realm to tell everyone that Ban Ding was now an enemy of the Han and would soon be crushed by the Imperial Army. Xu Rong was sent to recruit troops in the countryside while Duan Wei awaited on the border. Niu Fu was also sent orders to pick up as much men as he could before joining them. Xu Rong quickly had a few hundred men ready on the border, with more on their way. The mobilisation was slow, but it would be an impressive force once assembled, Xu Rong promised. Duan Wei would finally show his full might to everyone who had doubted him

In February 196, a month after Duan Wei officially declared war, Xu Chu was warned of the change of leadership in Liang Province. Guo Si had died fighting a revolt and Yao Shuren had succeeded him. This was seen as important news, and messengers were dispatched for Luoyang to warn Duan Wei of this development. On their way to the Imperial Capital, they met with the army of Niu Fi, who was still leading his men toward the east to join up Duan Wei’s new campaign. The general was quite nervous when he learned of this change. He didn’t know who this Yao Shuren was, only knowing him from his reputation. This meant that Niu Fu had no idea if the new Governor was going to attack at a moment’s notice. Should he slow down to see what Yao Shuren would do? Should he turn around and go help Xu Chu defend the border? Or maybe he should stop and ask Duan Wei for further instructions? While in the end he continued east, this little panic slowed down his advance by a week, which would have terrible consequences.

As it turned out, Ban Ding had not been amused at this whole declaration of war. The fact that Duan Wei had declared him an enemy of the Han and now treated him as just another easy target annoyed him to no end. This was nothing less than an insult to his personal greatness! If Duan Wei expected Ban Ding to stand idlily and await his doom, then the Chancellor would be thoroughly disappointed. In March, Ban Ding and his army marched toward the border and used the cover of the night to surprise the yet fully assembled imperial forces. Duan Wei, who was confident of the coming victory, didn’t see this surprised attack coming at all. He was unprepared, had less troops and it was the middle of the night. It was a quick victory for the forces of Ban Ding. Worst, yet, as Xu Rong retreated, he realized that Duan Wei was not with him. The Chancellor had in fact been captured by the enemy’s soldiers, who brought him in front of Ban Ding. Duan Wei demanded that he be released at once, or else they would regret it when the imperial army came back for him. Ban Ding, feeling slighted by Duan Wei’s reaction, ordered that Duan Wei be release of his head, which he sent to Luoyang as a sign that he was not to be messed with.

News of Duan Wei’s death sparked agitation at court. Liu Si immediately began to move for the restoration of imperial powers, advocating that the Emperor was now old enough to take back the reins of the Dynasty. This was the great moment Liu Si had always waited for, the moment when the Han Dynasty came back from the decline it had spiraled in. But Liu Si and his hardline loyalists weren’t the only one attempting to fill in the vacuum left by Duan Wei. Jiang Xian realized that it was a rare occasion to get back in charge and moved to restore “the old righteous order at court”, wishing the Han to return to a time of officials advising the Emperor and handling his affairs. It was basically what they had previously enjoyed, but without a Dong Huang to stop them. He even contacted his former associate Shisun Rui as well as Yang Biu, the son of their late leader Yang Biao. Jiang Xian told them to rush for the imperial capital so they could reassert good governance around the Emperor. While both groups made as much noise as possible, they lacked control of the garrison, which was still in the hands of Cao Quan. Both tried to sway him to their side, but he stubbornly stuck to the directives Duan Wei had given him, even if the Chancellor was now dead. No, before he would await someone else before making a decision, someone who could take control of the situation better than he would.

Then Niu Fu finally arrived in Luoyang.

The loyalist general was still under orders to join up with Duan Wei and had yet been made aware of the Chancellor’s fate. It was only when he camped his troops outside of the capital that he was told of the current situation. When they learned of his arrival, many officials turned to him and asked him to ensure peace in the capital. Cao Quan also offered to give him control of the capital, putting himself under his command. Taken aback, Niu Fu refused to set foot inside of the capital, suspecting it was a trap from which he would not come out alive. It was only when Shisun Rui arrived that Niu Fu was convinced by his former ally to enter the capital. Shisun Rui soon reaffirmed his power at court, quickly outshining Jiang Xian and Liu Si in the current debate. He immediately petitioned the Emperor that Niu Fu be made Chancellor, something applauded my many.

Afraid that Niu Fu might turn out to be another Dong Zhuo should power be refused to him, the Emperor offered Niu Fu the Chancellorship. But once again Niu Fu refused the invitation, as he did not seek power for himself, even if it was now becoming evident that it was falling upon his laps. He instead took the position of Intendant of Henan in order to ensure order within the capital and its surroundings. He then sent missives to Xu Rong informing him of the changes that had occurred. Xu Rong was all too happy to let Niu Fu be in charge and gladly submitted himself to his authority. Soon after, Niu Fu decided that the situation was too volatile for a war and sent gifts to Ban Ding, who agreed to a peace, mostly because Niu Fu treated him with the respect he felt like he deserved. Following this successful peace, Niu Fu was once again offered the position of Chancellor. This time he agreed to the pleas around him and accepted the appointment, although he felt uncomfortable being given such powers. And so began Niu Fu’s time at the top. He quickly hoped for unity and peace, unaware that the Emperor now considered him responsible for blocking his attempt at regaining his full authority. And neither did he notice Jiang Xian, who now aimed for nothing less than to take Niu Fu’s job from under him…

_______
PS: Well Duan Wei turned out to be a disappointment. And here I was, convinced he would be the one to usurp the Emperor. I was so hyped for him that I was actually thinking of names for his dynasty when he died. Well no more Chancellor now, I’m moving away! Following the death of Dan Wei I switched to playing Xiao Ru (@Ixarys ). Also from that point on I only play as yours characters.

 

[Zamarak500]

195-196: THE LAST STRETCH​

With the incoming army of Tao Shang taking everyone by surprise, Chen Wen was forced to flee his provincial capital of Hefei, soon to be followed by the old Lu Jun. But while they fled south to go seek refuge with the forces being assembled by Hu Zan, the garrison led by Su Dai still remained behind. Su Dai had no desire to stay and fight, but he was appointed Commander of the Hefei garrison, which meant it was his duties to remain here. He was a loyal servant of Chen Wen and would zealously accomplish his duties. So he stayed, even though he knew he wasn’t up to the task. So when the armies of Tao Shag arrived at the gates of Hefei demanding that they be allowed to enter, Su Dai refused. Tao Shang asked him “Will you not obey your lord?”, to which Su Dai answered “I am but loyal to my lord, and I will not let him down.” before refusing once again to open the gates, leading to a siege of the provincial capital.

But as much as Su Dai was loyal and willing to obey Chen Wen’s orders, he did not have the skills to lead a defence effectively. He was a decent enough administrator, yes, but a commander he was not. Thankfully, Su Dai had the wisdom of bringing his loyal general Bu Baoxun when he was affected to Hefei. Bu Baoxun, while not as happy about their submission to Chen Wen as his liege was, still did his very best to prepare the city in the case of a siege, beating the guards into shape and preparing for the eventuality of an assault. With Su Dai securing enough supply to last for months, they were more than ready to hold out when Tao Shang presented himself. When Tao Shang realized this, he tried to send bribes to Bu Baoxun, convinced that the general would switch side once he realized that Tao Shang could reward him handsomely. But when he received the gift from a spy in the city, Bu Baoxun was so enraged that he hit the spy enough times that the poor man could no longer see. Not as if he would have a lot of occasions to see again anyway, as he was tortured for information and then executed in public, allowing Su Dai and his general to clean the provincial capital of Xu spies.

Tao Shang had hoped to enter the city immediately, thus striking a blow from which the rebels would not have come from. Instead, he found himself in a long siege that he was not prepared for. Tao Ying, who had been left in charge of the province in Tao Shang absence, soon received demands for more supply as it became clear Su Dai would not open the doors of the city. Tao Ying, afraid this was some sort of test from his brother, was quick to send as much supply as he could, not even considering that he didn’t have the manpower necessary to protect this supply. Hu Zan noticed, though, and from his new position in the south he launched a few raids to test the waters, with the Xu troops unable to hold the supply they were transporting. Tao Shang saw this as a humiliation, and began to berate his brother with missives, criticizing him on his failure to keep the supply protected. This would have a far bigger effect on Tao Ying than intended, as he began to fear that his brother now wanted him dead.

Worst news came from the north in January 196 as the war with Liu Yi of Runan was turning badly. While the rebel general Huang Zu had indeed fought Liu Yi and triumphed, this had done nothing to stop the administrator’s campaign against Tao Shang, especially after he explained to Huang Zu that this was all a misunderstanding and that they were in fact fighting against the same enemy. Huang Zu was too arrogant to admit that this battle had been wrong, and it was only when he learned of Chen Wen’s flight south that he made peace and moved south. This allowed Liu Yi to continue his campaign for Anyang, and soon Tao Ying sent panicked missives to his brother, pleading him to do something before Liu Yi attacked Xu Province. Annoyed, but realizing that he needed to focus his efforts on keeping his southern provinces, Tao Shang finally resigned himself to his loss and sent envoys to Liu Yi. The Administrator of Runan Commandery wished to have this war done with, as he feared that his northern neighbour Xiao Ru was eying his territories. After offering massive bribes to the envoys and gifts for Tao Shang, it was quickly agreed that Anyang County could be Liu Yi’s.

As he marched from the north, Huang Zu found himself in a pickle. The quickest way to Hefei and the enemies was through the territories of Liu Siyuan. The issue was that the two had left each other on such bad terms that it might lead to open conflict should he pass again through Xincai and its surrounding territories. A more diplomatic man might warn Liu Siyuan of the threat on Hefei, pleading him to put aside their differences for the time being and go defeat Tao Shang once and for all. Huang Zu instead sent a missive, demanding, no, ORDERING Liu Siyuan to let him pass.

“I am to go defeat our enemies while you hide in your house. Your lands will be opened to me, and I shall pass through them and resupply from your people. And since you aren’t using your troops, given them to me at once.”

Needless to say, Liu Siyuan was not amused. Was this some kind of sick joke? He certainly did not appreciate the tone of the missive. Against the pleas of Jiang Gong, who hoped that they could remain united against the true enemy that was Tao Shang, Liu Siyuan decided to go on the border of his territories. Accompanied by Su Ta and a large contingent of troops, he made sure to block the entrance to his territories, refusing to let Huang Zu pass through them. This angered Huang Zu to no ends, but he decided that Liu Siyuan was bellow him and not worth the effort. Why bother with this failed warrior whose only claim to fame was his imperial ancestry? However he justified it, this decision would force Huang Zu to take a far longer route around Xincai, having first to pay to get through the territories of warlord Li Tong before making his way throughout Jing Province. This was a drag that slowed him considerably. Liu Siyuan considered this a victory, unaware that his actions had deprived Hu Zan of troops he desperately hoped for.

Unable to have news of Huang Zu’s situation, Hu Zan was forced to act with the troops he had. He needed the men, although he was all too happy to not have to handle Huang Zu. Ever since Chen Wen’s flight from Hefei, the Inspector of Yang Province had been the guest of Hu Zan. At the time, he was recruiting troops in the south and preparing in the eventual case the north was endangered. How right he was when Chen Wen came running and asked for his help. Hu Zan did everything to make his lord feel home, welcoming him as his master and respecting his authority. However, it quickly dawned on him what kind of opportunity this situation was presenting him. Yang Weili had been captured. Huang Zu was in the north of the province, with no news from him coming in. Liu Siyuan had returned to his domain and would probably protect his home first and foremost. Su Dai and Bu Baoxun were stuck in Hefei. Everything rested on his shoulders. Finally, he had a chance to show Chen Wen how great he was. Finally, he would show that he was the best general of Yang Province. He would turn this war around and win it all by himself!

Since he could not rely upon Huang Zu, Hu Zan began to launch small raid of the growing supply lines from Xu Province, securing a large amount of supply from his troops. Feeling emboldened, the young general then moved to retake the cities conquered by the Xu forces since the start of the war. The garrisons left behind were minimal, as Tao Shang had recalled most of the troops to help his siege of Hefei. The Governor of Xu’s sole focus on Hefei blinded him to the rebel’s moves. Hu Zan quickly launched his liberation effort, which was helped by the locals being all too willing to welcome back Chen Wen’s authority. Chen Wen, who had settled in the south with his court, was all too happy to hear of these victories. For each city Hu Zan took back, Chen Wen sent him rewards which only motivated Hu Zan to liberate more. By the end of March 196, only the towns around Hefei were still under the control of Tao Shang and his men.

It was in April that Hu Zan finally decided to make a move against Tao Shang. This was the result of Huang Zu finally sending an envoy to tell Chen Wen that he was closing in on Hefei. Unwilling to let the older general get all the credit and seeing this as an opportunity to finally regain the numerical advantage, Hu Zan pushed forward toward Hefei. The ensuing battle saw Tao Shang attacked from all sides. From the west, Huang Zu and his troops, while tired, were all too willing to kill the Xu soldiers when they arrived. From the east, Hu Zan launched a prudent but efficient attack, unsure if Huang Zu could be relied upon for a coordinated full on twin assault. From Hefei itself, Bu Baoxun took this opportunity to attack and finally break the siege. But what no one on both sides ever saw coming what the fourth assault from the north, led by none other than Zhang Yan. The former leader of the Black Mountain Bandits had escaped Lü Bu’s fury and made it for the south, recruiting many followers while on the road. He happened to arrive just in time for the Battle of Hefei. Seeing an opportunity, Zhang Yan chose to throw his lot with the rebels, using his small force to attack the weakened northern defense of Tao Shang. The Governor of Xu Province had no choice but to retreat, yet his arrogance led him to stay far longer than he should have, allowing his troops to suffer far more losses in the process.

Tao Shang was on the run. Hefei was freed. Chen Wen was overjoyed with this news and made it straight for his provincial capital. In the meantime, the victors found themselves with a few issues to resolve. Hu Zan, Huang Zu and Bu Baoxun each claimed that the victory was theirs. While most at the time would eventually relent that Huan Zu had done the most in the battle, Hu Zan’s political talents would ensure that he be the one who would be credited this victory by the later historians. Hu Zan also demanded authority over Hefei in Chen Wen’s absence. Su Dai was completely fine with this, but Bu Baoxun insisted that Su Dai was the highest authority until the Inspector arrived. And then there was the biggest problem of them all: what were they supposed to do with Zhang Yan? The bandit leader had helped, yes, but he had been declared an enemy of the Han. Zhang Yan didn’t know how they would react either, which is why he stayed away from their camp and made sure to always have his men prepared to fight.

But then Chen Wen arrived and simply rewarded everyone before deciding to organize a feast in their honor. This included Zhang Yan, who was welcomed at court as one of the heroes of the day, securing his place in Yang Province. During the ensuing feast, Zhang Yan would meet Lu Jun, the old advisor who had fled alongside Chen Wen. Fearing the rise of expansionist officers like Yang Weili and Hu Zan, Lu Jun decided that he needed to get his own great general to defend his ideas for Yang Province, especially if people like Hu Zan of Huang Zu started to show too much ambitions. So he approached the former bandit leader and offered him a place by his side. Zhang Yan saw no reason to refuse the offer. While he didn’t care one bit about the political and ideological arguments of Lu Jun, being given wealth, power and control over Lu Jun’s army was an excellent position to find himself in. This partnership would prove so satisfying for both that Lu Jun would start to recruit other rebels and bandits into his service, most notably former Yellow Turbans searching for a new home.

The feast could only last so long, however, and soon Hu Zan and Huang Zu were ready to go back on campaign. As a reward for his efforts in winning back Hefei, Chen Wen appointed Hu Zan as the leader of the campaign against Xu Province. Huang Zu so angry that he stormed in Chen Wen room to complain, only to be met by a just as angry Chen Wen, who berated him for waking him up so late at night. He was the Inspector of Yang, damnit! He was not going to accept this kind of pressuring from his men! So Huang Zu, who he had first planned to appoint leader of the vanguard, found himself only appointed as a subordinate otoHu Zan. Huang Zu actually considered doing just as Liu Siyuan had done and go home, but the chance to fight again on the battlefield was too enticing for him to quit, especially now that they were winning.

Now that they were winning and that they knew no possible threat could come from the north, Hu Zan wished for Liu Siyuan to rejoin the war effort. Having his troops and his talent by their side would ensure that the war would decisively be won. Huang Zu fumed when he learned of this. Hu Zan was in the middle of writing his message to Liu Siyuan when Huang Zu stormed in, grabbed the letter in anger and threw it in a fire outside the tent. He then made it abundantly clear that he would not tolerate this pompous prince by their side. If Liu Siyuan was in, then he was out. Hu Zan tried to reason with him, but he once again had to accept that Huang Zu was an emotional man who did not follow reason. In the end, Hu Zan decided that it was better to keep Huang Zu happy than lose his troops and bet on the possibility of Liu Siyuan joining him. He abandoned any plan to contact the scion of the Han.

In July the rebel army met with what remained of Tao Shang’s forces and defeated the governor once more. If this defeat was bad news for Tao Shang, he would receive even worst ones from home. Having grown convinced that his brother was going to have his killed for failing to protect the supply, Tao Ying felt as if he was against the wall. Seeing no other option, the younger brother revolted, hoping to use Tao Shang’s absence to take Xu Province for himself with little fighting. This left Tao Shang in a difficult position. Now he might lose more than his southern territories. If things continued like that, he might lose everything. His advisors begged him to abandon his campaign against Chen Wen, to return home and go defeat the traitor Tao Ying. But Tao Shang was too invested in his southern territories, too prideful to recognize defeat when only a year ago he was on the verge of victory. It was only the following month that he grudgingly acknowledged the inevitable and sent messengers to Hefei, offering Chen Wen to talk peace.

Chen Wen and Tao Shang met in Hu Zan’s domain, which was on the border between Xu and Yang. Hu Zan, who was already granted the honor of being the host of this meeting, was also allowed to be present to it as a reward for his role in winning the war. Liu Siyuan also showed up, insisting that he was an equal in this war and thus had to have a role in the talks. While Chen Wen was still frustrated that the warrior had abandoned them in the middle of the war, he welcomed him as a friend as if nothing had happened. Things started on a though note as Chen Wen insisted that Yang Weili be released from his two years of captivity before any discussion took place. This annoyed Hu Zan, as he had hoped to have replaced Yang Weili in Chen Wen’s eyes by now. But the Inspector of Yang Province insisted that his friend had to be freed. Tao Shang, who didn’t care much for the strategist, accepted the demand, and Yang Weili reunited with his lord at the negotiations. It was a dry and short affair, with everyone wanting to get this over with. Tao Shang accepted that Chen Wen and Liu Siyuan were no longer under his authority, allowing them to go free. It had taken three hard fought years, but they were finally free of Tao Shang. They had won.

Liu Siyuan as quite pleased with the meeting. As he left for his now independent domain, he was stoped by Tao Shang, who asked: “Even now, I do not understand? Why did you betray me, after all I did for you? You were my greatest warrior, yet you became a traitor.” Liu Siyuan retorted: “I was indeed you greatest warrior. Yet you ignored me for lesser unworthy men and allowed yourself to be lied to. When I wished to help you rid yourself of this influence, you accused me of treason. You pushed me to treason. Considering how you rewarded my loyal cousin, I have clearly made the right choice.” He left a saddened Tao Shang behind and returned to Xincai. When he arrived home, however, one of his happiest days turned into one of his saddest. Messengers from Luoyang brought news. His father, Liu Si, had finally died of old age while he was at the negotiations. As he organized the funerals, he cried in front of the funeral tablets, his father, his imperial ancestors and Heaven itself. He would crush the rebels, the barbarians and the traitors. Before he breath his last breath, he would save the Han and reunify China.

 

[Zamarak500]

195-196: NOT THE WAR YOU HOPED​

Xuan Su had spent the last few years removing rivals that could hinder his rise within Lü Bu’s inner circle. After the removal of Xu Rong, he had finally achieved his goal to become Lü Bu’s number two, accompanying his lord on his campaign against the Black Mountain Bandits. He had finally risen to the top… only to become the scapegoat for all the problems this campaign faced. It was a slow affair, something Lü Bu had no patience for. Xuan Su’s efforts to calm his master only made things worse, and soon he found himself reassigned to the defense of Bing Province, away from the battlefield. This demotion from active command left a bad taste in Xuan Su’s mouth. He had done all in his power to ascend, yet his ambitions had been thwarted by the foul mood of his lord. But he didn’t lament his fate for long, instead deciding to do as best he could with what he was given. After all, he was now in charge of the province once again, even if it was only under Lü Bu’s authority. So he turned to what he always did when Lü Bu left him in charge of Bing: expanding his territories.

After looking at his various neighbors, Xuan Su’s attention fell on Guo Wen, the Administrator of Yanmen Commandery. Guo Wen had been around for a while, being first appointed to his commandery at the start of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184. Since his appointment, he showed little to no talent in his duties, and so found himself stuck there for the last decade without any possibly of promotion. This also meant that he was left out of the loop on most events that shook Bing Province and the Han Dynasty since the rise of Dong Zhuo, as no one saw any advantage in letting him in. Guo Wen could see how people saw him as a handicap instead of an asset, which had started to make him resentful of others. He was especially jealous of Xuan Su, who had risen from a nobody to Lü Bu’s right-hand man in the span of four years. Xuan Su decided that it might be better to remove him before he tried anything against him. Guo Wen might not be the smartest man around, he was known to be quite bold. Striking first thus seemed like a safe bet.

As he was the regent of Bing Province in Lü Bu’s absence, Xuan Su had a lot of authority to abuse to his advantage. Feeling empowered, he did the same as he did the last time, accusing his target of being a traitor. He sent a letter to Guo Wen, telling him that he was considered a traitor and should surrender his territories to him or face the wrath of Lü Bu. Instead of bowing to the demands, Guo Wen panicked and sent pleading letters to Lü Bu. He trusted that Xuan Su was honest, but he also believed that Lü Bu might be willing to forgive him if he pleaded enough. For his part, the Inspector of Bing Province had no clue what this whole affair was about. He was on campaign and had just sent Xuan Su home, so what were these treason accusations that were being thrown around? He sent an angry reply to Guo Wen, telling him he didn’t know what this was about and to not bother him with this nonsense.

Realizing he had been played, Guo Wen now answered back to Xuan Su, who had also been made aware of Lü Bu’s knowledge of the situation. Guo Wen’s answer to the repeated demands of Xuan Su could be summarized in two words: “Make me.” Xuan Su thus tried his other approach, which was to trick his opponent into coming to the provincial capital, where he would be captured and executed. But by now Guo Wen was convinced that this was all a ploy by Xuan Su to take his territories (which it was) and refused to come. Instead, the administrator assembled his troops to protect himself. Using this as an opportunity, Xuan Su assembled his own men in late March 195, declaring war on Guo Wen. Using his power and connections, Xuan Su did his best to portray himself as the hero trying to put down an unlawful rebellion. He hoped this would be an easy war, unaware at the time that he just launched himself into a quagmire that would last more than a year.

Surprisingly, even with all the territories under his control, Xuan Su barely had two hundreds more men than Guo Wen. While he held massive territories, most of it was on the northern border, where few people lived due to the barbarian raids. Still, he had the numerical advantage. Planning for a quick war, he tried to goat his enemy into a battle to his advantage. He expected Guo Wen to be bold and too trusting of his intelligence network, which had already been infiltrated by Xuan Su’s agents. Yet for the next two months, there was no movement on Guo Wen’s part. The man wasn’t even avoiding battle. He simply refused to move. Xuan Su didn’t expect this, so he instructed his spies to find out what was going on, especially as his supply lines began to be raided by small squads of enemies.

As it turned out, Guo Wen had found himself a military advisor for this campaign, someone right out of Xuan Su’s past. Since his duel with the northern man in 190, the Xiongnu general Uchjulu had been forced to flee north, where he joined the Northern Xiongnus until he was kicked out over a personal feud, right before they were attacked by Lü Bu. He then offered his services to the Black Mountain Bandits, although he was only given garrison duties in their northern territories. He stayed there until 195, when it became clear to him that Zhang Yan was doomed and that his cause was not worth fighting for. When he learned that Guo Wen was seeking officers against Xuan Su, the barbarian quickly seized on the opportunity to fight his old adversary.

Xuan Su was actually happy when he learned that the Xiongnu was here. In the few duels he had done over the years, the one against Uchjulu had been the only one where his opponent had managed to escape. Now he could kill two birds with one stone. But Uchjulu was not going to make it easy for him. Remembering his own failures years ago, he advised Guo Wen to never engage the enemy, as Xuan Su was smart enough to always turn the situation to his advantage. Guo Wen, who was no military leader, relied heavily on the barbarian, and even agreed to let him lead small raids on Xuan Su’s supply. These raids were highly successful, making any rapid advance impossible.

For the next months, both armies either refused to move or played a long game of cat and mouse, with no battle or even skirmish fought between the two. This was starting to annoy Xuan Su, as many expected Lü Bu’s campaign to end by late autumn. If this little war was still going on when he came back, who knew how he would react. He might shrug it off and ignore it, or he might get into a rage and decide to have both men killed. In order to get things moving, Xuan Su threw his enemies a bone. He left a pass to his territories completely unguarded, which would allow them to move against some of the towns in his main territories. While Uchjulu believed it was a trap, Guo Wen bravely decided to lead the troops through, eventually reaching the other side and besieging a northern town. The problem was that it left the entrance to his own territories undefended.

So Xuan Su moved forward, finally attacking a city under Guo Wen’s control. Within a month, the city had surrendered to him. Meanwhile his enemies were still struggling in their own siege. Xuan Su was ready to advance deeper into enemy territory, but he would soon find it impossible to do so. While Xuan Su was excellent at warfare, his subordinates weren’t. One of them had to be left in charge of the supply, and soon enough Uchjulu launched a devastating raid that the subordinate was unable to handle, fleeing instead of fighting. Adding to this the large quantity of supply that was lost during that flight, and Xuan Su had no choice but to go back home due to the supply problems. This allowed Guo Wen and Uchujulu to retake the city that had been captured. And just like that, everyone was back to square one.

In November, Lü Bu finally defeated Zhang Yan and the Black Mountain Bandits, successfully conquering their territories before Gongsun Zan’s men could. As soon as he was back into Bing proper, the Inspector of the province found himself bombarded by messages from both sides, each demanding that he supports them in the conflict. Lü Bu was enraged, but also didn’t care at all about this little feud. He sent messengers to both, telling them to deal with their little feud by themselves and stop bothering him with it. Xuan Su also received criticism for taking advantage of Lü Bu’s absence for his personal gains (Lü Bu not aware or caring that Xuan Su had done the same before). As punishment, Xuan Su was relieved of his duties to Lü Bu and consigned to his northern domains until he ended this mess. Frustrated and not a bit resentful about this treatment, the scheming general still considered himself lucky that Lü Bu hadn’t taken more direct actions against him.

But by March 196, nothing had moved. It had been a year, yet no real battle had ever been fought between the two sides, and no gain had been made. In an attempt to break the deadlock, Guo Wen reached to another administrator of the province, and old man named Cui Jun. Cui Jun was in charge of Xihie Commandery, just south of Yanmen Commandery. If Cui Jun joined in the fighting, this might allow Guo Wen to gain the upper edge. The old administrator agreed to meet his messengers, but only because he wanted a concubine and hoped that Guo Wen could give him one. While the messengers tried to suggest the idea of an alliance against Xuan Su, Cui Jun kept coming back to the subject of the concubine. It got back enough that Cui Jun finally said “Just send me a good girl. Only then will we speak of alliance.” When the messengers came back, Guo Wen decided to send a concubine to Cui Jun, trusting that this would be the first step of his old neighbor entering the war. The second he had his concubine, Cui Jun stopped answering Guo Wen’s letters.

By May, the conflict had not advanced at all, which was turning into a massive annoyance for Lü Bu. At first, he simply didn’t care what his subordinate were doing, as long as hey did it outside of his court. But now he was setting his sight east, and he needed all the resources of Bing to achieve his ambitions. Having the whole northern border in chaos was not acceptable. So he delt with the problem in the most brutal way possible. He sent his general Zhang Yang with orders to end the fighting once and for all. Zhang Yang, who had become Lü Bu’s most reliable officer during the recent campaign, quickly agreed to the task he was given. He went north and sent missives to Xuan Su and Guo Wen, telling them to stand down or face the might of his army. Not wanting to fight the army sent under their lord’s orders, both men chose to stop. Uchjulu, guessing that he would not be welcomed in Bing once the war was over, fled Bing to go north, offering his services to Buguden Khagan of the Xianbeis.

After the two stood down, Zhang Yang forced them to come to the negotiation table to find a lasting compromise. This was perfect for Xuan Su, who was able to manipulate things to his advantage. In the end, Zhang Yang agreed that Yanmen Commandery would be better ruled by Xuan Su. After all, Xuan Su had done a terrific job protecting the border, with the local Chinese settlers seeing him as their hero and protector. His cynical views also left him with no animosity for the barbarians, who were surprisingly well treated within his territories. Meanwhile, Guo Wen’s commandery was a mess. Better to leave it in competent hands. Guo Wen did gain something out of it though, being guaranteed a position among Xuan Su’s advisors and a veto on any decision within Yanmen Commandery. The negotiation came to a conclusion in June 196, with those terms agreed by everyone.

Of course, Xuan Su had no desire to respect his part of the deal. He had only agreed because at the end of the day, he would be the one with power and territories, while Guo Wen would be left as the weak magistrate of a small city. As soon as he had affirmed his authority over Yanmen Commandery, he would rescind on his promises and leave Guo Wen powerless. He suspected that by then Lü Bu would be busy with far more important matters to care about a small magistrate’s complains. And he was right. In September 196, using the opportunity that Gongsun Zan was distracted by a war in the east, Lü Bu launched an invasion of You Province, planning to take it from Inspector Liu Yu. This would prove the first move of a conflict between the three warlords, a conflict that would eventually result in northern unification.

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PS: FInished all my classes, gave my thesis first chapter... So yeah, more time to publish chapters now. Can't say how regular it will be, but you should expect me to start posting again, at least!

 

[Zamarak500]

194-196: A WARLORD AMONG MANY​

Yu Province had collapsed in mid-194 following the invasion from Yan Province, which was then followed by its collapse later the same year. Xiao Ru, who had been left in charge of the provincial capital of Chengguo, had hoped to become the new power of the region, only to be driven out by an angry populace that handed the city to another warlord. Still, Xiao Ru had control of Chen Commandery, which had been the territories of the Prince of Chen before he took over Yu Province. He retreated in his safe haven, swearing he would retake the provincial capital and expand again. But as much as he dreamed that this was the first step of his ambitions, that this was the moment he was finally going to rise to the top, he had to accept that he was only a small warlord, one of many that had risen out of the fall of two provinces.

So he fled to his domain, accompanied by his wife and two children, where he settled in his new role as an independent warlord. In this he was helped by Xu Shao, who had assisted Xiao Ru while he was regent of Yu Province. Xu Shao was an amazing scholar and an excellent administrator, with many regarding him in far higher standings than the murderer Xiao Ru. With his influence and talent, Xu Shao was proving to be the most powerful man in Chen Commandery, maybe even more than his lord. Xiao Ru, who already found Xu Shao indispensable, appointed him to the position of assistant administrator, making him his number two in the commandery. For this show of trust, Xu Shao pledged himself to his new master, promising loyalty and obedience. Although this loyalty would end up being challenged on multiple occasions, at that time he was all too happy to help his lord manage his new situation.

It didn’t take long for the two men to turn Chen into a manageable territory. Unlike most warlords, who found it hard to supply their territories without the help of the provincial administration, Xiao Ru and Xu Shao were quickly able to get traders to work with them. Most warlords coming out of Yu Province beneficiated from trades with the rebelling territories of Chen Wen, who saw many of his usual trade routes cut off by the Xu forces. Chen Commandery was no exception, and in late 194 they actually sent an ambassy that reached the general Hu Zan, who was fully open to the idea of doing deals with Xiao Ru.

They also made sure that laws were still applied and that the region did not fall into anarchy and banditry, something that Xia Ru was especially worried about. This however turned out to be a first sticking point between the two, as Xu Shao had to convince his lord that ruthless application of the law might had the opposite effect of the one desired, to which Xiao Ru relented.

Finally, in an attempt to gain legitimacy and authority, Xiao Ru had Xu Shao send a letter to Luoyang, asking for recognition as the administrator of Chen. However, the letter arrived just as Dong Huang was entering his fatal civil war, so it stayed on the shelfs until the rise of Duan Wei. Duan Wei, who envisioned to reunite Yan and Yu, chose to ignore it, and it would only be with the appointment of Niu Fu as Chancellor that Xiao Ru’s position would be confirmed by the Imperial Court.

But they weren’t the only ones trying to achieve things in the newly independent Chen Commandery. Xiao Ru’s wife, Lady Xia, wished to have a role in the local affairs. To this, Xu Shao balked. He tried to explain to her that her duties were to give children to Xiao Ru, “to which our lady is quite good at”, he added. His opposition wasn’t bounded to gender roles, however, as Lady Xia was the daughter of a merchant. Xu Shao didn’t want to see the rise of some merchant class that would pollute court. He saw merchants as greedy bastards that only wanted to enrich themselves. Seeing how Lady Xia’s main actions since arriving in Chen was to amass wealth for herself, his worries on that front seemed to have a ring of truth. But Lady Xia was patient, and for now she backed off.

But then she kept putting her nose in the affairs of state. She notably intervened on the debate over the enforcement of the law. While Xu Shao advised clemency and moderation, Lady Xia tried to push her husband to be stricter and crueler, which was more in line with Xiao Ru’s own vision. She arbitrarily dismissed maids and servants who had been appointed by Xu Shao. He tried to complain to Xiao Ru, but Lady Xia had fired them after they had made some slight mistake. In response to the complains, Xiao Ru simply shrugged and said “they d-deserve to su-su-suffer the consequences of-f-f-f-failure”. In late 194, Lady Xia was finally able to get a position of influence, being given the role to investigate servants and officials at court in Xiao Ru’s name. Frustrated at this, Xu Shao decided to help his lord free himself of his wife, advising him to take concubines. “My lord, your progenies will be the greatest allies you will have in your old age. A wife can only give you so much, so why not take more women? Why deprive the world of your great progenies?” Xiao Ru agreed, and soon enough he had three concubines at court, to his wife’s annoyance (doubly so because he gave part of her wealth to Xu Shao as a reward for this great idea).

But the downfall of Xu Shao at court would not be caused by his rivalry with his lord’s wife. In fact, this was completely unexpected at the time. When a general named Chang Lin came to Chen Commandery in early 195 seeking a lord to serve, Xu Shao was the first to welcome him. Chang Lin was a smart man, a man skilled in both administrative and military duties. Chang Lin had been a small-time officer in imperial controlled territories, having fought in most of the battle that engulfed the Dynasty over the last years. After losing an eye in the failed assault on Luoyang (the battle that made Duan Wei famous), he refused to accept that Duan Wei was now chancellor and instead chose to seek fortune elsewhere. He decided to go to Chen after hearing that Xiao Ru had been regent of Yu Province, which made him believe that Xiao Ru was a big player in the region. Xu Shao, who was all too happy to see worthy men assemble under his lord’s banner, praised Chang Lin in front of his lord, advising him to appoint Chang Lin to a command. Xiao Ru was thoroughly convinced by Xu Shao’s words and made him an officer. Neither Xu Shao nor Chang Lin expected that this would lead with the replacement of the former by the later.

As it turned out, Xiao Ru had been quite impressed by Chang Lin, a lot more than Xu Shao had expected. Within a month of his arrival, Chang Lin was promoted to designated regent of Chen Commandery, a role Xu Shao had assumed was his. Then Chang Lin, proving to be a great help in administrating the affairs of the state after enforcing a new conscription, entered Xiao Ru’s inner circle. Then the Administrator of Chen simply decided that Chang Lin was the man he needed right now and removed Xu Shao from his position, replacing him with Chang Lin as his new assistant administrator. This was soon followed by the replacement of the other high-ranking officials, with the exception of Lady Xia, who was allowed to retain her authority for the time being. This would be the first instance of something he would do for the rest of his life. Maybe he did so because he didn’t want officials to hold power for too long in fear that they would grow corrupt, or maybe he simply replaced them on a whim based on his daily tastes. Whatever the reason, his tendency to rotate advisors at an increasingly rapid rate would be the source of many problems over his life.

In his defense, the sudden rise of Chang Lin was also motivated by Xiao Ru’s growing desire to expand his domain, which meant he needed a military advisor instead of a civilian one. Everyone was now setting their eyes on expansion. If he waited too long, Chen might be left as a small commandery surrounded by strong warlords. His own attention was still on the provincial capital of Chengguo. While he had lost it to another warlord, the one who was in charge of it had disparate lands that weren’t connected, leaving him with little actual power to protect Chengguo. This left the city vulnerable to its neighbors, the Chen Commandery of Xiao Ru and the Runan Commandery of Liu Yi. Because of this, both men started to see one another as rivals for control of the region. It didn’t help that Liu Yi had been among the local officials who had been appalled when Xiao Ru was not only welcomed in the province, but promoted. In Liu Yi’s eyes, Xiao Ru was a murderer who did not deserve his current power.

When Liu Yi began to involve himself in the war between Chen Wen and Tao Shang, Xiao Ru decided that he could not allow the continued existence of such powerful rival south of his territories. While Liu Yi waged war to take control of Anyang, the forces of Chen were marshalled into readiness. Chang Lin was given much leeway in the preparations, spending months recruiting and drilling troops for the incoming war. The new right-hand man was all too happy to fulfil his obligations. Having always felt that he was unappreciated in his previous service to the Han, Chang Lin began to throw himself in his new work. He even made sure that there would be no supply problem, having heard of the infamous campaign of Sun Jian in 190, when the lack of supply stopped them from coming home for a full year. Liu Yi wasn’t blind to what was happening, and so in late 195 he began to speed up the negotiations with Tao Shang, fearing that Xiao Ru was on the verge of an attack. He was right to do so, as Chang Lin and his forced entered Runan Commandery within days of Liu Yi’s acquisition of Anyang County.

Chang Lin, realizing that there was no opposition (as Liu Yi had yet to come back from his previous campaign), raced his forces to Pingyu, Liu Yi’s seat of power. He met no resistance on the way, easily reaching the walls of the city. Chang Lin demanded that the city surrender, but the garrison refused. Chang Lin didn’t mind, though. He checked his army, confirmed that they had ample supply and then decided to put the city under siege. He was in no rush and wanted to make this right. Even the possible return of Liu Yi and his army didn’t bother him. In fact, he hoped for it and prepared accordingly. Taking the city and defeating the enemy force would probably secure victory. This was the kind of campaign that would make his career, turning him from a low ranked officer to one of the great generals of his time. The siege went without any issue, and by April 196 Pingyu had been captured. The only issue was that there was no sign of Liu Yi’s army.

While the siege was going on, Xiao Ru was being pestered by Xu Shao, who pleaded to be reinstated in his functions. He had served him so well, so why replace him? Xiao Ru was annoyed by this. Yes, Xu Shao had been a great advisor, and thanks to him Chen Commandery was now fully functional. But Xiao Ru didn’t need a civilian advisor anymore. Chang Lin could do the job just fine and lead the troops into battle. And besides, he had been generous when it came to compensating him, so what was Xu Shao complaining about? The magistrate warned his liege that only bad rulers change their council on a wimp, hoping that his lord would not continue upon that path. But Xiao Ru refused, just like he had refused to allow his wife any political power once he found out she was pregnant.

Once he found out she was pregnant, he decided that it was enough and forced her to surrender her political powers so not to strain herself. And she wasn’t the only one, as one of the concubines was also pregnant, with two sons named Xiao Hanhe and Xiao Bin arriving in the family in April and May 196 respectively. So everything was going great, which meant there was no need to bring Xu Shao back. But a few days after Xiao Hanhe’s birth, report came that the army of Liu Yi had been spotted. It had just entered the commandery, completely ignoring Chang Lin and his siege. Before he was himself stuck, Xiao Ru sent missives to Chang Lin telling him to come back.

Chang Lin was surprised when he heard of Liu Yi’s appearance in Chen, so he quickly prepared himself to go rescue his lord. After leaving a skeleton crew to garrison Pingyu, he marched north to go help his lord. When he arrived, Xiao Ru was still resisting the siege. While at first Xiao Ru had been effective in managing supply and grain, he soon started to be liberal in the portions given to the soldiers, making sure that everyone who had a role in the defense was well fed. While this was good for morale and health, this considerably reduced the amount of time they could endure the siege. The arrival of Chang Lin was thus a fortunate affair in term of timing. The ensuing battle was actually a clear victory for Chang Lin, forcing Liu Yi to break the siege and retreat. Instead of holding celebrations, Xiao Ru hastily ordered his general to push the offensive and capitalize on the victory. So Chang Lin pursued and won the ensuing battle, and the one after that, and the one after that…

News of the continuous victories were sent back to Xiao Ru, who was all too happy to hear them. The administrator eventually joined the army the share in the glory. Thankfully, he was smart enough to not think himself a military genius, leaving the decision making to the more experienced Chang Lin. The entire summer of 196 was filled with victories that served to crush Liu Yi’s hopes as he was pushed back into his territories. By October, the officials of Runan had enough and pressured Liu Yi to seek peace. Xiao Ru’s terms were simple. Liu Yi would submit and give him control of the commandery. Liu Yi tried to offer to pay tribute instead, but this was seen as inacceptable by Xiao Ru. He had won the war and all the battles fought over the summer. He had been victorious. So he would be the one dictating the terms. Having no other options, Liu Yi accepted, subordinating himself to his enemy. This was the first successful conquest within former Yu and Yan Provinces. Xiao Ru, who had been a warlord among many, was now the most powerful in the province. And he had no plans to stop there.