The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Zamarak500]

219: THE FIRST DAYS OF THE LIANG​

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Zamarak500]

219-220: THE YANG CAMPAIGN​

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His wife.

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

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

 

[Zamarak500]

219-220: MY EMPRESS, MY HEIR​

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Zamarak500]

218-220: FRUSTRATIONS AND WARFARE​

The defeat at Yejingting and the death of general Yang Weili left the military leadership confused and disorganized. For now, Governor Xiao Ru simply complained while leaving these decisions to his more apt subordinates. The one that would have the job of reorganizing the Chen offensive after these events would be the Commandant. Chen Tiao had not been on the frontline when Yejingting happened, having instead organized his headquarters between Chenguo and the frontline. This allowed him to be able to get a faster picture of the war while still remaining in frequent contact with his liege. While he wanted to bravely charge at the enemy as much as anyone, Chen Tiao knew that his skills would be better used in this position. The other generals could get the glory, as long as the war was won.

Chen Tiao sent orders for the generals to join their new assigned posts. Dian Wei was removed as commander of the main army, as he had been the one in charge during the defeat at Yejingting. Xiao Ru couldn’t believe that an army twice the size of the enemy could lose without someone being to blame. As the one leading the troops during the battle, the famed hero was the one to take the fall. Dian Wei had to return to his commandery without much fanfare. With him gone and Yang Weili dead, this only left Ma Chao among the generals of the main army. But the former rebel’s hopes to take over were dashed by Chen Tiao, who had orders not to trust the bulk of their troops to a former Xu commander. Instead, he turned to the more tested and reliable Hu Zan.

The issue was that Hu Zan was currently commanding the second army, forcing him to proceed with a hasty relocation. In a similar situation as the one with Ma Chao. Liu Xian, a key player in Xu Province before it was conquered by Xiao Ru, was the only general still commanding the second army. Chen Tiao, unsure how to proceed, send a messenger to Chenguo. Thankfully, Xiao Ru knew perfectly how to ensure that none of his former enemies had too much control over the troops. To command the second army, he sent Ding Zhiguo. The choice of sending another former Xu general had two goals. First was the fact that Ding Zhiguo and Liu Xian had been on opposing side of the Xu civil war, with the one eye general trying to overthrow the governor while the Imperial Clansman was trying to save him. This would ensure that they wouldn’t cooperate too much. But just as important was the fact that Ding Zhiguo was Tan Shenquan’s uncle. Having him lead an army against his nephew could be a good tool for propaganda, showing that Tan Shenquan had even lost the support of his relatives.

Hu Zan tried his best to race to the main army as fast as possible, but the absence of a real commander was an opportunity that their victorious enemies would not fail to exploit. Zhao Yun, taking the lead in launching an assault against Ma Chao and the main army. The Qing army was quick to follow in the attack, which took place around the end of March 218. While Ma Chao was a competent general, he found himself alone in charge of a demoralized army. And being Ma Chao, he went forward and tried to find and kill the enemy generals instead of standing back and leading from the rear. He did find Zhao Yun, but the two were only able to exchange a few blows before the movements of the troops forced them apart. Hu Zan arrived just in time to see the main army being defeated again. After quickly snatching command from Ma Chao, the general ordered a retreat, doing his best to keep it orderly.

This defeat convinced Chen Tiao that there might be a need to reorganize the armies into a single force that would be strong enough to crush the enemy, even though this would render the previous reorganization moot in the process. Hu Zan, who was just as good of a politician as he was a general, saw an opportunity in this new reorganization. Having arrived too late to be a part of the defeat yet just in time to organize the retreat, the general was able to paint an advantageous picture of his role in the event. His letters to Chen Tiao were enough to convince the Commandant that Hu Zan had to be appointed as the commander of the now sole army. Xiao Ru soon had the decision validated, knowing that Hu Zan was a competent enough commander to turn this war around (though the Governor was now considering replacing him as Chief Censor due to his unavailability). The other commanders were sent to lead garrisons on the border while Hu Zan found himself alone in charge, a position he greatly enjoyed.

In a gesture of kindness, the general sent a letter to Chenguo requesting that Xiao Tung come serve by his side. Despite their 24 years age gap, the two had struck a friendship during Hu Zan’s time as Chief Clerk. The heir had left a great impression on Hu Zan, who saw in him an ambitious young man that reminded him of his own youth. He also knew that Xiao Tung had ambitions to become a great general, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give him some military experience. Xiao Ru was reticent about the idea, however. He still believed that his son’s time would be better used learning how to be a good administrator in the provincial capital. It was only when officials pointed out that sending the heir might help the morale of the defeated troops that Xiao Ru agreed, allowing his son to ride to Hu Zan’s army camp in haste.

Xiao Tung only arrived in early June, and by that time a whole new player had entered the war, to the annoyance of Xiao Ru and the frustration of Tan Shenquan. Ying Mo, the son of the famed scholar Ying Shao, had launched an expedition against Qing Province. He lamented that his father had to submit to the Tan Clan and now sought to bring the Ying Clan back to prominence. While annoying, his presence was more worrying due to the people behind his little expedition. Ying Mo had been entirely financed and equipped by Yao Shuren. The court of Chenguo was quick to guess that the Chancellor wanted them occupied, leaving him free to do as he pleased. Even worse was the possibility that a Ying Mo victory might result in an annexation of Qing Province by the Han, a prospect that Xiao Ru was keen to avoid.

Because of this stressful prospect, the Governor of Chen Province tried to remove this threat through diplomatic channels. He wrote letters to Ying Mo, reminding him that he had himself started his career under Ying Shao, and even promising to appoint him as the new administrator of his father’s commandery once Qing Province was conquered. But Ying Mo was born after Xiao Ru’s flight, and his father never had kind words for the accused murderer that fled in the night. The lack of respect toward Ying Shao in the letters didn’t help, as Xiao Ru clearly saw himself as a self-made man who never really got help from anyone.

Since this didn’t work, a second attempt was made to convince Ying Mo to stand down, this time by his younger brother. Ying Hansheng had, unlike his brother, accepted Xiao Ru’s overtures. Because of this, he had been appointed Magistrate of Xipingchen the previous year, and had even risen to become a key advisor of Xiao Ru over the recent months. He appealed to his brother, trying to convince him to stand down and join him. But Ying Mo once again refused. This second refusal convinced Xiao Ru that Ying Mo would have to be dealt with on the battlefield. Orders were sent that the young man’s host was to be crushed if met during the campaign.

But the next six months would not see Ying Mo crushed, or see any battle for that matter. While the goal of sending Xiao Tung was to give him battlefield experience, all the heir saw were sieges and attacks on cities. Hu Zan was progressing well, gaining territories on the border, including the majority of Taishan Commandery. But while Xiao Tung did not get much experience from these conquests, it did give him the opportunity to mingle with the troops. Soldiers found themselves trusting this kind and humble lord who seemed to truly like them and enjoy their presence. While he had clear ambitions, he lacked the arrogance and greedy nature that they often associated with nobles like Hu Zan, whose love for a wealthy lifestyle alienated him from his Chen troops. Meanwhile, Xiao Tung was sitting with them, listening to them, being one of them. And for this, they were ready to follow him anywhere.

But this was not to be, as political changes at home would bring an end to Xiao Tung’s field trip. The death of the Assistant Administrator Bao Xun earlier in the year had left a void that needed to be filled. While Xiao Ru initially considered promoting Hu Zan to the office, tales of his growing arrogance within camp infuriated the Governor. Instead, he brought back Dian Wei from his temporary disgrace, convinced that a military man was needed to assist him in the war. By the end of 218, Xiao Ru decided to have Dian Wei replace Hu Zan as overall commander of the campaign, though this time the new commander would receive far more oversight from Xiao Ru and Chen Tiao. Just as Hu Zan had brought in Xiao Tung, Dian Wei asked for Ma Chao to be appointed by his side, as the two got along especially well. Hu Zan was ordered to come back to Chenguo to finally perform his duties as Chief Censor (though he would be fired from these too by the middle of 219), with Xiao Tung being forced to accompany him on his father’s orders.

Dian Wei and Ma Chao were certainly happy to be back in charge of the campaign, though their joy were short-lived. Xiao Ru’s warning that there would be more oversight was taken to the extreme. Every demand for supply, food or anything had to be approved by both the Commandant and the Governor before it could be used. The plans for the campaigns had to be sent to Chang’an, were Xiao Ru and his court often sent them back with “corrections”. They had orders to indicate the number of days needed for a siege before it could be approved. Dian Wei and Ma Chao were infuriated at this level of control from the court, which clearly had no idea how to conduct a war. Ma Chao was so insulted that he even suggested that they march to Chenguo to remind them who was running this war. Dian Wei, who was more diplomatic, refused to entertain the idea, considering it counterproductive to their current objectives of winning this war.

The two generals were thankful that they only had two months to endure this before the enemy made a move on them, forcing them to react without authorization from Xiao Ru or Chen Tiao. Zhao Yun and Tan Shenquan took position close to the Chen army, readying themselves for a new confrontation. While the Chen troops had the numerical advantage, Dian Wei was smart enough to realize the dangers of charging head first into battle against such competent foes. The Qing army had been victorious before, and it might be victorious again. But while he planned for a strategy to counter any Qing plan, he couldn’t do much against Ma Chao’s desire to destroy the enemy in one heroic swoop. And at the end of the day, this was what Dian Wei also desired. And they played right into Zhao Yun’s hands. Once again, the larger Chen army was defeated, and by the end of January 219 Dian Wei and Ma Chao were forced to abandoned their conquered territories.

Now, Dian Wei was able to turn this around during the first half of 219. In March, he had a confrontation against a smaller Qing force that had separated from the main army. This raiding party, led by Zhao Yun, was easily defeated by the Chen forces. It didn’t stop Zhao Yun from trying this again the following month, only for Dian Wei to once again find him and push him back. Zhao Yun came out of this battle severely injured, and Dian Wei confidently wrote to Chenguo that the enemy warlord would “soon leave us free to act as we please”. Using these small successes to their fullest, the Assistant Administrator pushed forward, returning on the offensive and attacking Qing Province once again.

But these small victories were overshadowed by news from the West. To the shock of everyone (and the surprise of no one), the Chancellor Yao Shuren finally usurped the Han Dynasty, ending four centuries of Han rule over the Middle Kingdom. In its place, the usurper created a new Liang Dynasty, voicing his ambitions to unite China loud and clear in the process. On the battlefield, no one was sure what this news would entail. Offensives temporarily stopped after this, as everyone awaited orders on how to proceed. Would they now submit to the Liang? Or maybe the two sides would end their dispute and unite against the new dynasty? Thus, they waited for a few weeks. But while neither side recognized the Liang Dynasty, choosing to continue to use the Han calendar instead of the new one established by Emperor Anwu, no move was made toward peace. It soon became clear that the change of imperial regime would have no impact on the conflict, leading to a resumption of hostilities.

If the usurpation affected the war in any way, it was in convincing Xiao Ru that he needed to win it to survive. On the advice of his Commandant Chen Tiao, the Governor of Chen Province decided to send the whole package of elite generals to command the campaign against Qing Province. Dian Wei, Ma Chao, Hu Zan and Ding Zhiguo, all joined by newly raised recruits to bolster the Chen army. Together, they would surely be done with this invasion by the end of the year. But while they were all excellent generals, their presence together only created tensions. Dian Wei and Hu Zan saw each other as rival for command, and the later had not forgotten how he had been replaced at the end of the last year. While Ma Chao and Hu Zan did have a cordial relationship, their strong personalities were bound to clash on the issues of strategy and leadership. And everyone disapproved of Ding Zhiguo’s presence. Dian Wei did not trust him because he was Tan Shenquan’s uncle, Hu Zan still remembered how the one-eyed general had conquered his former territories in 209, and Ma Chao disliked him for his role in the Xu civil war that allowed Xiao Ru’s conquest of the province. As for Ding Zhiguo himself, he was getting sick of spending his days drinking out of boredom and wanted a chance to get back into action.

But for all their disputes, the army did make progress during the second half of 219. With the more level headed Hu Zan and Ding Zhiguo present, it was decided that avoiding confrontation with Zhao Yun would be the best plan. The troops weren’t exactly eager to get defeated by the Qing army, so it was better to use them for sieges and territorial conquests. And for the rest of the year, the Chen generals did an excellent job of it. They seized most of Taishan Commandery, many cities on the border between Chen and Qing, and were even making headways toward the provincial capital. Hu Zan took notable pride in conquering Chunyu, which had been under his control all the way back in 191-192, when he served under Kong Rong in the province. As for Xiao Ru, he was especially happy to receive a letter from his generals, with a simple sentence written in it: “Fei County is yours.”

But by early December, a peasant revolt came to spoil Xiao Ru’s good mood. Xu province had been conquered in 216, but the various wars had made its full integration difficult. This of course wasn’t helped by Xiao Ru’s policies. His belief in harsh and severe laws did not endear him to the local peasantry, nor did the numerous rotations of his council, leading to various degrees of enforcements of his policies in the province. But what truly pushed people over the edge was the tax policies implemented by the new Chief Clerk Yang Qub (the son of Yang Weili). Xiao Ru needed money to fund the war, and it was Yang Qub’s job to find it for him. The young Chief Clerk was too young and too shy to dare say anything against his liege, and that didn’t even take into account his filial need to ensure the war’s success out of duty to his late father.

While more taxes were levied on properties and lands all throughout Xiao Ru’s territories, it soon became clear that it was not enough to ensure the continuation of the war and the supplying of the various garrisons and forts. Feeling that it would be better not to push the core of Xiao Ru’s territories too much, as they had already provided many recruits to the war, Yang Qub chose to be patient and wait before forcing new taxes upon them. However, he had no qualms about doing the same with Xu Province. Soon, inheritance found itself confiscated by the state upon death, crimes saw wealth and properties seized and pay tolls were placed at every gates. The people were being bled dry of their coins. While this did have the effect of filling the coffers beyond expectation, it also turned many in Xu Province against their overlord.

Small protests started in early November, and while some of them were crushed by law enforcements, others manage to grow and gain traction. In northern Xu, many peasants had also turned to banditry, either out of desperation, to escape the law, to flee the draft or simply due to the war forcing them into this lifestyle. They also started to assemble, and in early December they linked up in Ju to become one of the biggest peasant revolts seen in the last decade, with more than six thousand men (and women) under their banners. At their head was a 25 years old peasant name Dao He. He had been conscripted into the war with Qing Province early in the conflict. After the defeat earlier in the year, the peasant fled in the hope of returning to a life of working the field, only to find that his estates had been confiscated as his family proved unable to pay the new taxes. He was not charismatic, nor was he politically astute, or even a decent general. The only reason he was hailed to the leadership position was due to his military service.

News of the revolt took everyone by surprise. Xiao Ru was especially shocked, as he was in the process of preparing subsidies and investments in Xu Province to help the people out of the dire poverty that they had found themselves in (though Xiao Ru blamed it on the war instead of Yang Qub’s tax policies). But now that they had revolted, the only gift that they would receive would be a crushing defeat at the hand of Chen soldiers. At first, Commandant Chen Tiao offered to take some recruits and garrison troops to go deal with the revolt. He even suggested that the 17 years old Xiao Cang should accompany him. Xiao Ru’s youngest son had successfully engineered his appointment as Magistrate of Juancheng and as a subordinate of Chen Tiao. It allowed him to help with recruitment, and thus claim to play a role in the war effort, without needing to go fight on the frontline. Which was why he was completely opposed to leading troops against the rebels and highly relieved when he was told that the rebel force was simply too big.

Instead, orders were sent to the Chen army in Qing Province to deal with the revolt. However, communications between Chenguo and the troops were eventually intercepted by the Qing forces. They now understood that their enemies had to return home to deal with a crisis, thus making it clear that they needed to stop the Chen troops from leaving. For the first two months of 220, the Qing forces were able to block the path of the Chen general through well placed obstacles and calculated ambushes. Sick of this game, the great general suggested to his colleagues that they lay a trap for their enemies. Zhao Yun was convinced that their base in Fei County was vulnerable, leading him to attack their camp at night only to be ambushed by the awaiting Chen troops. While the general escaped, the entirety of his army was defeated.

This opened the way for the Chen troops to march south and go deal with the massive peasant revolt. But to their surprise and amusement, the peasant army was no longer as massive at they had been told. Since it had started in December, Dao He’s cause had lost steam, with half of the rebels having deserted by the time the army arrived to deal with them. This left Dian Wei and his fellow generals with the numerical advantage. Adding to this their military talent and the lack of equipment of the rebel forces made this an easy fight. The rebels were defeated in late June and the deserters were found and executed on Xiao Ru’s order. The chaos that had gripped northern Xu Province was now over.

The troops, with their morale bolstered by their victories at Fei and against the rebels, were now ready to take the fight back to Qing Province. Xiao Ru was also encouraging them to end this war already. Just like everyone, he had been shocked by the quick success of the Liang Imperial Army in conquering Yang Province, and now he feared that he would be the next target. He needed this victory, and fast.

This pressure led to two battles in September. The first one took place at Bengting, where Tan Shenquan was recruiting new soldiers for his army. The absence of Zhao Yun (who was out fighting Yong Mo’s army) was seen as a perfect opportunity to strike by Dian Wei, with the other generals all in agreement on the issue for once. While Tan Shenquan was an excellent general, he was no peer of Zhao Yun. For all his efforts, the Governor of Qing Province was unable to accomplish the kind of miracle that his ally had been pulling off since the start of the war.

But victory led to discord, as the Chen generals began to bicker over the wisdom of launching a pursuit. Ding Zhigguo argued that it might lead them to a trap, while Ma Chao wanted to end this war right here by capturing Tan Shenquan. In the end, the pursuit won out, with the Chen army chasing after their retreating enemies toward Qi County. There, Tan Shenquan took defensive positions with his meager force, ready for a last stand. Thankfully for him, it was at this moment that Zhao Yun returned from his expedition. Seeing the dire situation of his ally, the warlord launched a daring assault on the flank of the Chen army. While the battle proved costly for the Qing forces, the surprise appearance of Zhao Yun allowed them to emerge victorious, with Dian Wei being humiliatingly forced to order a retreat.

The two side then started to entrench themselves in their positions. The Chen troops wanted to regroup and work out a plan to end these strings of defeats against Zhao Yun and finally win the war before Xiao Ru relieved them of their duties. Meanwhile, the Qing forces didn’t have the manpower to take advantage of the victory, which had been a pyrrhic one at best, and still had Yong Mo attacking other part of their territories. And so they started to rebuild their forces and prepare for the next confrontation. Or at least that was the plan, until critical news arrived from Chenguo in October, bringing a sudden halt to the hostilities.
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PS: To answer @EtzelHoveri 's question (sorry I didn't answer sooner), I just sent a final version of my thesis to my thesis director, who will then decide if it's good enough or not to submit. So I'm either approaching the end game or I will have to work more on it, which means taking another semester.

 

[Zamarak500]

219-220: THE FUTURE OF CHEN​

In March 219, Yao Shuren had Emperor You abdicate the throne to him, thus ending the Han and passing the Mandate of Heaven to a new imperial dynasty, the Liang Dynasty. Yao Shuren, now Emperor Anwu, immediately declared his own reign era and sent missives to the various warlords demanding their submission. This move had been expected, with some like Yang Weili easily predicting that this was the path that the Chancellor would follow if given the opportunity. Even so, witnessing the end of the Great Han was a shocking moment for everyone, heralding a dangerous and uncertain future for anyone who did not submit to the new Emperor of China.

Xiao Ru could only grit his teeth when the imperial missive landed on his doorstep. He was certainly not going to recognize the usurpation of Yao Shuren and bow to this new Liang Dynasty. Like every remaining warlord, he refused to accept the overlordship of Emperor Anwu and continued to use the Han reign era instead of the new Liang Calendar, a clear signal that Chen Province refused to recognize the regime change.

However, Xiao Ru was in a bind about how to act next on the issue. Yang Weili had actually advised him to install Liu Kun, son of Liu Siyuan, as the new emperor of a restored Han Dynasty in the east. But this idea didn’t really appeal to him. In fact, Xiao Ru was flirting with the idea of making himself an emperor, now that this taboo had been broken by Yao Shuren. However, after some discussions with his advisors, he realized that this would be the wrong move for the moment. Not only did he lacked the mechanisms that Yao Shuren had to legitimize his usurpation, but declaring himself an emperor now would also put a target on his back. And with the former Han emperor still alive and well, any Han restorationist who fought by his side would desert him the second he declared his own dynasty.

Fortunately, Yao Shuren decided to take care of this in May by having Emperor You assassinated, leaving the Han loyalist cause more divided and uncertain (and thus easier to use for warlords like Xiao Ru). Especially, Xiao Ru quickly started to distance himself from the late puppet emperor, instead insisting on his great loyalty for Emperor Qianfei, the last competent emperor of the Han Dynasty. Of course, this was all for propaganda, and anyone who had been with Xiao Ru during Emperor Qianfei’s reign knew that the Governor did not lift a finger to help the Son of Heaven when he needed it. But it worked well with the masses, as Emperor Qianfei was gaining a reputation as a heroic monarch outside of the Liang Dynasty. In an unprecedented move among the warlords, Xiao Ru even decided in June 219 to roll back the imperial calendar to Emperor Qianfei’s first reign era. This meant not only a denial of Emperor Anwu’s legitimacy, but also of his whole rule as Chancellor of the Han. Thankfully for Xiao Ru, he had timed it just as the Liang Dynasty was moving against Yang Province, leaving him free of reprisals.

Heading this new propaganda campaign were Hu Zan (at the time still Chief Censor) and Xiao Bin (Xiao Ru’s third and arguably favorite son). The two men were both ambitious, proud and excellent at performing the duties given to them. But while Hu Zan had become good friend with the oldest son Xiao Tung, he found himself clashing with the personality of Xiao Bin. Their pride and ambitions were obviously a problem, but this was not the main issue. While Hu Zan was cynical and sarcastic, Xiao Bin was stern and manipulative, with Hu Zan once calling him a snake in private. And while Hu Zan was on the greedy side when it came to spendings, the son was proving as willing to spend as the father, leading to some clashes on how much had to be spent on their duties. Xiao Tung’s effort to make them get along stopped these tensions from turning into a full-on rivalry, but no one could say that they came out of the experience as friends.

The disputes between the two men on how to best spread the propaganda was solved by the removal of Hu Zan as Chief Censor in July. The relationship between Xiao Ru and his general had been deteriorating over the years, and now the Governor sought any excuse to remove Hu Zan from office. He certainly sided with his son Xiao Bin in his disputes with Hu Zan, and he wasn’t convinced that the general had the “proper attitude” to fulfill his courtly duties, whatever that meant.

But the turning point came from his wife Lady Fahui. After a discussion with Xiao Bin, she decided that she would do a decent job if put in charge of the propaganda. She was sociable and well learned. Surely, she could do these duties with ease. Xiao Ru was unsure, considering that his first wife Lady Xia had used this position to steal from him. But Fahui was no Lady Xia, and Xiao Ru utterly trusted his wife. Hu Zan was fired and replaced on the excuse that he would be of better used on the frontline. While Hu Zan agreed with the assessment, he still held Xiao Ru in contempt for firing him from his office.

While the generals made their way into Qing Province during the second half of the year, Xiao Ru was starting to bolster his court with new advisors. This notably included the 51 years old Administrator of Pei Commandery, Yan Yi. He was one of the older followers of Xiao Ru, eventually being appointed as administrator in 204 and sticking to his post since then. The man was known for his unlikability, with the only reason for his appointment at court being his years of loyalty and the interest in gardening he shared with his liege. Yan Yi was angry, stubborn, paranoid and crude. And within the span of half a year, he would have alienated almost four of the five Xiao sons due to his toxic personality, with Xiao Hanhe being the only absent of this list due to his continuous attempts to avoid the provincial capital (and his father).

First was Xiao Cang, who he criticized for his role in the military training of the troops. What was he doing, cowardly waiting safely while the others went on the frontline? Even when Commandant Chen Tiao came forward to defend Xiao Cang and the importance of their rear duties, Yan Yi still insulted both of them and called them craven failures. Trying to avoid direct confrontation, the younger son went to Chenguo to complain about the incident to his father. But Xiao Ru actually agreed with Yan Yi about Xiao Cang’s cowardice, especially compared to Xiao Tung’s bravery. This left Xiao Cang confused and shaken, especially since his father was always so opposed to his brother’s military career. The incident would leave Xiao Cang with a permanent enmity of both his father and Yan Yi, as well as put an ever-growing strain on his mental state.

Then came a dispute with Xiao Dang, the fourth son and the Magistrate of Luguo. While a competent administrator, the young man had gained something of a reputation for being a playboy, enjoying the company of women when he was not performing his duties. It was not that he didn’t appreciate his wife either, though he was not enthralled with her as his older brothers were with theirs. Using the fact that she was Zhao Yun’s daughter to spend more time with other women, he drew the ire of Yan Yi, who was baffled by the man’s lack of seriousness. He accused Xiao Dang of ignoring his marital duties, which rubbed the young lord the wrong way. The following day, he had Yan Yi dragged in his home by his friends. There, he pointed to his sons Xiao Ji and Xiao Ne and his daughter Xiao Xinyue before saying “My duties have been firmly fulfilled!” But Yan Yi didn’t want to listen, so Xiao Dang stubbornly had him dragged daily to give him the same exact lesson until Xiao Ru put a stop to this amusing routine.

If this wasn’t enough, Yan Yi then managed to get onXiao Tung’s wrong side. He had met the heir previously and did not like him one bit, even though Xiao Tung was known for his kindness and sympathetic personality. So how did he manage to get on the heir’s wrong side? By crossing the one line that Xiao Tung never tolerated: Yan Yi criticized his wife. When he met Changle, he frowned and expressed his disbelief that a disgusting savage had actually been allowed to marry the heir, having always been convinced that this had been slander. Changle did not take these insults lying down, and after two days confronted Yan Yi and made it clear to him that this disgusting barbarian was here to stay, and that he should keep his idiotic opinions to himself. Yan Yi was so infuriated that he raised his fist and prepared to hit her, only for an enraged Xiao Tung to grab his hand and kick the older man in the kneecap. Xiao Tung then made it clear that any further action would not be forgiven. Both men brought this affair to the Governor, leading to a tired Xiao Ru ordering them to avoid each other from now on, hoping that this would solve the issue.

Then a peasant revolt erupted in December, leaving the court confused about the cause of this sudden uprising. Yan Yi certainly had his theory about what had led to this revolt. But he did not identify the source of the problem as Yang Qub’s tax policies, which was the real cause, or the destruction of the war, which Xiao Ru believed. Instead, he blamed it on the stupid handling of the Chen propaganda by Xiao Bin. Clearly such a young and inexperienced boy could not do this job properly. Xiao Bin did not take this insult lying down, and pointed out that Pei Commandery was right next to Xu Province. Maybe Yan Yi’s failure to manage his commandery well had set a bad example for the other officials, leading to the revolt? Yan Yi was insulted and shouted every insult at Xiao Bin in front of the whole court, leading Xiao Tung to come forward to support his brother. Xiao Ru had enough of this. He could see how the man’s presence was causing his sons to become restless. The Governor decided to quietly tell Yan Yi to go back to his commandery to avoid further problems.

Xiao Ru certainly didn’t want any fuss within his court at the time. By late 219, he had been trying to build the image of a united court loyal to the legacy of the Han. This was most exemplified by a series of appointments in early 220. During these first few months, he appointed four members of the Imperial Liu Clan to important (yet mostly powerless) offices within Chenguo. These men were Liu Xian, the old official from Xu Province who had previously served on campaign against Qing, the Prince of Rencheng (Liu Derun), who had grown up to be a competent young man, the Prince of Lanye (Liu Xie), whose domain was the most hit by the current peasant revolt, and the Prince of Pei (Liu Qi), who had submitted to Xiao Ru decades ago.

Most of them didn’t particularly appreciate the Governor of Chen Province, but his current commitment to help the Imperial Clan and uphold Han values was welcomed by them all. It certainly helped the Chen propaganda to have them around, as Xiao Ru could now claim that he was the only one upholding the Han against the evils of the tyrant in Chang’an. Notably however, he did not enthrone one of them as the new Han emperor, nor any Liu clansman for that matter. Because by now, Xiao Ru was set on establishing his own Imperial Dynasty, with the Liu Clansmen here to offer him some legitimacy once he managed to gain their support and loyalty.

But unlike Emperor Anwu, he didn’t have an emperor to promote him through the usual process of usurpation established by Wang Man. He couldn’t get the Nine Bestowments, nor could he have the Son of Heaven abdicate him the throne. He could get himself a puppet Han emperor, but this might just turn his followers against if he embraced Han restoration too strongly only to turn his back on it later on. But while Wang Man’s legal process of usurpation was not available, he could use the other side of the great usurper’s plan: weird mystical signs and contrived events.

His first move in that direction would be somewhat laughable and far-fetched, yet still more grounded in reality than his following plans. After asking his main scholar Lang to make a full genealogy of his family, the scholar came back with some amazing and absolutely real discoveries. Xiao Ru was directly descended from none other than Xiao He, one of the Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty and the first Imperial Chancellor of the Han, serving under both Emperor Gaozu (202-195 BC) and Emperor Hui (195-188 BC)! His late father was thus a noble of the highest of lineages, and NOT a simple gardener, which he NEVER WAS, EVER. Possibly just as surprising, his late mother was also of noble birth and a direct descendant of the Dukes of Chen, who ruled their state during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Xiao Bin, fully aware of what his father was doing, suggested that the Imperial Court must have always been aware of his father’s claim to Chen, which was historically right and just. Clearly, when Chancellor Jiang Xian had sent Emperor Xian’s edict promoting his father as Governor of Chen, it must have actually been a restoration of his noble titles over the region. Xiao Ru declared that this was too important not to be verified, and so ordered the conserved edict to be brought back in front of the court to be read out loud. And indeed, it seemed that he had actually been granted the title of King of Chen! Oh well, he must have read it wrong the previous time! The court immediately encouraged him to adopt the title granted to him by the Han Dynasty, as refusing to do so would signify an abandonment of his duties to the Dynasty. While he feigned refusal, he relented that he had no other choice but to promoted himself. Any good and loyal subject of the Han would have done the same, after all.

Xiao Ru also sent envoys to the Xianbei Confederacy to make a deal with Budugen the Great. The Xianbeis held lands in the north of Qing Province, lands that Xiao Ru was keen to get his hands on. Not only would this allow him to encircle Tan Shenquan’s territories, but reclaiming these lands from the barbarians would certainly boost his prestige and legitimacy. Of course, his embassy left with gifts and coffers of silver to compensate the Khagan for this loss of territories. While he dragged the negotiations and took joy in humiliating the envoys, Budugen proved to be warming up to the idea (or the bribes) as the year went on. His willingness to deal with the Chinese was shocking news to his son Xibaxiong, who abandoned his role as leader of the Liang barbarian cavalry to return home and try to knock some sense into his father’s head. In the end, he would not be able to convince his father to refuse the offer, although the young barbarian would swear a blood oath to one day reclaim those lands treacherously bought by the southerners. One day…

Things quickly accelerated once news of the conquest of Yang Province reached Chenguo. If Xiao Ru wanted to pull this off, he needed to do it before the end of the year, at which point Emperor Anwu might fancy moving against him for his overt actions toward usurpation. Soon after news of the conquest arrived, an official came forward with an even more surprising revelation. Ding Gongsi, Administrator of Liang Commandery, had a surprising visit during his sleep. The ghost of Emperor Qianfei had appeared to him to tell him that Xiao Ru had to claim his rightful destiny, that it was Heaven’s will. Of course, this completely real revelation did not specifically include a demand to claim the throne, though most could read through the lines.

Two weeks after this surprising turn of events, another official came forward to tell that he had also been visited by the ghost of Emperor Qianfei! What a surprise! And the ghostly emperor now wanted to pass upon Xiao Ru his most prized possession, which was implied to be the Mandate of Heaven. Of course, Xiao Ru did not openly accept the gift, whatever it might be. Then, two days later, another official came forward. But bungling the delivery of his lin… misremembering the previous night, he claimed that he had been visited by three Emperor Qianfei (instead of three ghost emperors including Emperor Qianfei)! Now embarrassed by the whole affair, Xiao Ru decided that maybe the officials should just keep these ghostly apparitions to themselves from now on.

Then an unknown man appeared to the court, a man who Xiao Ru showed everyone that he didn’t know and had never met before (though his sons were acting strangely casual when interacting with the man). The stranger claimed that he had met a dragon at the Nansi Lake. The dragon had expressed that Emperor Anwu’s story of exchanging an eye with a dragon for a great destiny was a complete invention and that he did not hold the Mandate of Heaven. But this dragon, which was real unlike the one met by Emperor Anwu, was here to place upon Xiao Ru’s shoulders the mantle of greatness and destiny (whatever that meant). And Xiao Ru being far more amazing and worthy than the usurper in Chang’an, he didn’t need to offer anything in exchange this time! Amazing! Surprising! Completely true! One official tried pointing out that the end of this story seemed to hint that Emperor Anwu’s dragon was real after all, thus contradicting itself, for which Xiao Ru had him permanently removed from court.

And then came the classic, straight out of Wang Man’s playbook. A peasant found a strange rock in his field, with a simple inscription upon it: “Xiao Ru must be emperor.” This clearly heavenly (and not at all fabricated) rock was quickly brought to the local town sheriff, who immediately had it sent to the provincial capital. The rock was put on display throughout Chenguo, just to make sure that everyone had a good look at the rock that had clearly been carved by Heaven itself. But once again, Xiao Ru refused the order of Heaven, claiming that he was unworthy of such honor.

September proved the final step, and probably the most elaborate so far. A Confucian scholar (who just happened to be a close friend of the scholar Lang) appeared at court one day. He was clearly unexpected, as shown by the people all dressed up in the middle of the night to welcome his arrival. The scholar claimed to have been a part of Emperor Qianfei’s court during his attempt to reclaim power in 217. During that time, the emperor had given him a vital task to safeguard his Imperial insignias, his seal and an edict. Should he perish and the Han be usurped, this was to make its way to Xiao Ru, the most loyal and just and good and loyal and virtuous and loyal and loyal of all the Han officials. What a curious coincidence that this scholar had managed to safeguard everything needed for an imperial enthronement AND to come out just as Xiao Ru was being encouraged by Heaven to take the throne! Clearly a sign from Heaven once again!

Xiao Ru asked the scholar to read the edict, which had obviously been written by Emperor Qianfei himself and not some scribe in Chenguo. The edict dictated that should the Han be destroyed by the evil Yao Shuren, then Emperor Qianfei wanted the most righteous man in China to take up the Mandate of Heaven and succeed the Han as the rightful Emperor of China. And it just happened that Emperor Qianfei had named Xiao Ru as this man! What a massive twist!

Of course, Xiao Ru did as was expected in this situation and refused the throne. He was clearly unworthy. Surely there were more deserving members of the Liu Clan to take up this honor in his place. But surprisingly, the Prince of Rencheng came forward and insisted that Xiao Ru obey the edict. Liu Derun was by now convinced that this edict, as well as the whole story, was the complete truth. As a good imperial clansman, he was determined to uphold the will of Emperor Qianfei. In an unexpected move (even by Xiao Ru), Liu Derun declared that he relinquished his princedom, refusing to hold a title that might threaten the legitimacy of the holder of the Mandate. Cheers rang out at court, and this was followed by a cascade of similar moves from the Liu Clansmen, now feeling the pressure to do the same. They all stepped over each other to surrender their titles and reaffirm their loyalties to the Governor. Xiao Ru couldn’t have dreamed of a better endorsement.

Finally, he had no choice but to accept the throne. Heaven wanted it, the people wanted it, his court wanted it. Even the former Imperial Clan was behind him. On the tenth of October 220, Xiao Ru became Emperor of China at the age of 57. He declared a new dynasty to succeed the Han, the Chen Dynasty, which would one day reclaim the whole of China from the evil usurper in Chang’an. He would posthumously be remembered as Emperor Cheng of Chen (陳成帝; ChénChéng Dì; “The Successful Emperor of Chen”). Unlike Emperor Anwu, Emperor Cheng would not waste any time securing his succession, as his first edict was to appoint Xiao Tung as his new Crown Prince.

The news of Xiao Ru’s ascension brought a halt to the fighting, especially as envoys came to Tan Shenquan with an offer. Emperor Cheng clearly didn’t want to keep his new dynasty embroiled in a prolonged war that would leave him open to an attack by the Liang. Thus, he was offering his enemies one last chance at clemency. In exchange of surrendering Qing Province to him, they would all be allowed to keep their commanderies and be respected as officials of the Chen Dynasty. This offer brought even more pressure on the Qing forces as the Xianbei lands on their northern borders were officially being transferred to the new Chen Dynasty.

While Zhao Yun advised his ally to continue the fight, the generals Ba Daiping and He Jintao were pressuring their liege to accept the deal. Their forces were depleted and weakened. At best, they might be able to force a standstill, and for what? To wait for Ying Mo and the Liang Dynasty to conquer Qing Province? And while Emperor Cheng was proving magnanimous today, it was likely that Emperor Anwu wouldn’t be tomorrow. Frustrated at his powerlessness, Tan Shenquan eventually agreed to surrender the province. As the uncle of the governor, Ding Zhiguo was sent to negotiate the deal, ensuring that his nephew was well treated. By the end of October, Qing Province had passed into Chen hands, to the anger of Zhao Yun. In the end, both parties would come to regret this decision. Emperor Cheng would come to rue having kept Tan Shenquan alive, and the former governor would quickly miss the power he had willingly surrendered. But for now, the war was over, and peace had come to the new dynasty, the true legitimate dynasty. The Chen Dynasty!

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PS: First of all, congratulations to @Ixarys, as your character Xiao Ru managed to achieve the ultimate achievement: becoming Emperor. As with Yao Shuren, he shall now be called by his posthumous name, Emperor Cheng. I’d say that his rise was far more unexpected than that of Yao Shuren, as Xiao Ru crawled his way from nothing and struggled at every turn while Yao Shuren kinda cruised from success to success.

With the ascension of Xiao Ru and the founding of the Chen Dynasty, we officially put the Han Dynasty behind us!Now the story will shift toward the second part of this AAR, the “Liang-Chen Contention”. While this had already been the case for a while, we will from now on focus on the two rival states and their stories, instead of many warlords and characters spread throughout the map. Also, here is the update on every character and where they are at:

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• Liu Siyuan (@EtzelHoveri ): Was killed by Feng Zian in 207 at the age of 44. His legacy is that of a great hero of the Han Dynasty, who helped Emperor Qianfei seize back control of his dynasty in a last ditched effort to save it. His last surviving son Liu Kun is currently living in the Chen Dynasty.
• Xiao Ru/Emperor Cheng of Chen (@Ixarys ): The newly enthroned emperor of the Chen Dynasty he started his reign by annexing Qing Province, which immediately gave him a strong position to work from. Currently has six children, a daughter (Xiao Xiaowen, 191) and three sons (Crown Prince Xiao Tung, 193, Xiao Bin, 196, and Xiao Dang 199) from his wife Lady Xia, as well as a son (Xiao Hanhe, 196) and a daughter (Xiao Cha, 206) from a concubine.
• Jiang Xian (@Massinissa the Wise ): The former Chancellor of the Han, he committed suicide in 206 at the age of 40 when it became clear that Yuan Shu would take Luoyang. Unlike Liu Siyuan, his legacy is that of a corrupt official who abused his authority and played a key role in weakening the Han through his machinations. Of the ten characters, he was the first and to die and the youngest at the time of his death. His family is still on the run, fearful that Emperor Anwu might want them dead for their association with the Han Dynasty.
• Feng Zian (@Idhrendur ): The late Grand Commandant of the Han Imperial Army, he died at the age of 43from injuries sustained during Yao Shuren’s invasion of the Han. Is often seen as the last great hero of the Han Dynasty. His two sons now fight on opposing sides, with Feng Yong pledging himself to the Liang Dynasty while Feng Guo currently serve the new Chen Dynasty.
• Xuan Su (@HistoryDude ): Xuan Su is currently back in control of Bing Province, General of the Flying Cavalry of the Liang Dynasty and a close advisor of Emperor Anwu. Even so, he still seek more power and influence for himself within the new regime. He has three daughter (Xuan Zhenfeng, 196, Xuan Zhaoyui, 207, Xuan Jinluan, 209), and five sons (Xuan Bohai, 200-200, and Xuan Mei, 204, Xuan Lu, 205, Xuan Zian, 208, Xuan Xueyou, 220).
• Hu Zan (@patpekala ): Hu Zan currently serves as Administrator of Donghai Commandery and is currently a general of the Chen Dynasty, though he has serves in various other offices under before the establishment of the Dynasty. His talents and his closeness with the crown prince seem to indicate that he is destined for a great career under the new imperial regime, though his relationship with Emperor Cheng is tense as of late. He has four sons, Hu Da (191-217) from his first marriage with Feng Ai and Hu Weizhi (198), Hu Jingxuan (200) and Hu Ah (201) from his second marriage with Zhu Fanjing. Also has a daughter Hu Xianji (207) from his third marriage with Chen Jiner. He has five grandsons, with Hu Zhongli (216-220) having already preceded him in death.
• Yang Weili (@Specialist290 ): Yang Weili was a great general who finished his career in the service of Xiao Ru, dying at the age of 58 from natural causes. He was the last of the character to die during the Han Dynasty, and in his last moments proved loyal to its restauration. His only surviving son Yang Qub is currently Administrator of Runan Commandery and the first Excellency of Works of the Chen Dynasty. He is also married to Feng Nuwang, daughter of Feng Zian, with who he had two sons (although only one of them, Yang Guangxu, is still alive).
• Yao Shuren/Emperor Anwu of Liang (@binobo ): Emperor Anwu has been the one to end the Han and replace it with his own Liang Dynasty, after which he successfully conquered Yang Province. He controld the entirely of western China. Has two daughters (Yao Ki, 194, and Yao Xiangjun, 195) from his late wife Guo Yuyi, a daughter (Yao Xiaoya, 202) and a son (Yao Xiu, 203) from his first Empress Cheng Guanglie, two daughters (Yao Shanxiang, 202, and Yao Suying, 204) from a concubine named Xiaofan, as well as a son (Crown Prince Yao Yuan, 205) and a daughter (Yao Chuntao, 217) from his current Empress Liang Na.
• Mo Jie (@Midnite Duke ): Mo Jie has recently returned to the Liang court to serve as Excellency of Works. He is also the Governor of Kong Province and has been made the Marquis of Kong. He most recently played a key role in the selection of the Liang Crown Prince, though not in the way he had hoped. He has six daughters, three from his wife Ma Yunlu (Mo Daiyu, 198, Mo Xiaowen, 204, Mo Shanwei, 207), two from a deceased concubine named Shaoming (Ma Zanghua, 203, Mo Zuimei, 207), and one from a concubine named Tonge (Ma Xinyue, 213), making him the only character of the cast yet to have a son.
• Pan Zheng (@Dunaden ): Pan Zheng currently served as Governor of Yi Province, Marquis of Yi, and most importantly, as the first ever Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty. Even with such responsibilities, his focus had mostly been on crushing the barbarians occupying Jiaozhi Province (a goal he had failed to achieve in spectacular fashions). He has two sons (Pan Zhiyuan, 198, Pan Ciqing, 216) and two daughters (Pan Ruoxin, 205, Pan Hongyu, 207) from his late wife Fang Xia, and one daughter (Pan Xiaoji, 206) from a concubine named Chunluo. His marriage with Princess Xiaoya, Emperor Anwu’s favorite daughter, has yet to produce any child.

 

[Zamarak500]

220-221: LONG LIVE… THE HAN?​

Emperor Anwu had done quite well since he inherited the Mandate of Heaven from the Han Dynasty seventeen months ago. In that short span of time, he had been able to establish the basis for his dynastic regime, reinforcing the administrative apparatus he had built around himself while Chancellor of the Han. He had managed to bring back Yang Province into the imperial fold after three decades of independence and lawlessness. And he had even solved his own succession issues by finally appointing a crown prince, although this had happened only after a humiliating scandal from his previous wife and some good and convincing advice on the part of Mo Jie, the current Excellency of Works. Things seemed to be going well for the Liang Dynasty, despite some small hick ups here and there.

But then he started to get news from Chen Province saying that its governor, the evil and irredeemable Xiao Ru, had dared to declare himself emperor of his own dynasty, the Chen Dynasty. Succession and marital problems had kept the Liang court from listening to the stories coming from the province about mystical signs and ghostly apparitions. Probably unimportant nonsense, especially when compared to the question of succession. But now in October, the Liang court was warned of this pretender, trying to contend with the heavenly might of the rightful dynasty. Emperor Anwu took this news with a mix of anger and annoyance. Xiao Ru? Xiao Ru had dared to declare himself an emperor? Wasn’t he just the son of some gardener who murdered a guy? This was what the people of Chen Province considered emperor material?

Worst news yet was that Budugen had surrendered his Qing lands to the Chen Dynasty, an inacceptable move according to the Liang emperor. What was the point of a treaty with the Xianbei Confederacy if they were going to help his rivals? This was inexcusable., and something had to be done. But at the end of the day, Emperor Anwu had to admit that… well… what could be done? Budugen the Great did not earn his nickname for nothing. He was ruling the largest coalition o nomadic tribes seen in a century, maybe more. Any hostile action against the Khagan would threaten the peace on the northern border, a prospect that Emperor Anwu wanted to avoid at all cost. Worst case scenario, it might lead Budugen to actively support the pretender in Chenguo. In the end, the only option was to do nothing and accept that Budugen did not require Liang approval to act on his own.

What could be done, however, was to support Ying Mo’s attempt to seize Qing Province. Tan Shenquan had surprisingly chosen to surrender the province to the new Chen Dynasty, ensuring that the Chen now controlled a large section of the coastlines. But if Ying Mo was able to retake the province, he was sure to accept Liang suzerainty, thus boxing in the Chen Dynasty and depriving it from a path of expansion. Immediately, Emperor Anwu ordered his Grand Commandant Yang Xiu to send supply and equipment to Ying Mo’s host, with plans to send the imperial army to back him up soon after.

However, only the first part of this plan would be put into action due to another barbarian revolt forcing the Emperor’s attention inward. A tribe of Di barbarians seeking more freedom and rights decided to rise up, having seemingly learned nothing from the previous attempts to revolt against the Liang. This time, the local barbarians on the western border of Bing Province found themselves oppressed, with some imperial officials forbidding them from performing their religious ceremonies, which the Chinese confused for witchcraft (which was a crime punishable by death). Furious, the Di barbarians assembled around a warrior named Ziren, a man who was both learned and skilled. Ziren promised to force the Liang Dynasty to respect their beliefs and rights, to the joy of his brethren.

As soon as this was announced, the General of the Flying Cavalry Xuan Su declared his intention to raise loyal troops and march on the rebels. His troops were already mobilized by the time that Chang’an was warned of the rebellion. Xuan Su personally took command of this little expedition to go secure key positions that might be endangered by this dangerous rebellion. And so Xuan Su, in his upmost loyalty, took his soldiers and marched… east? Into Changshan Commandery? When this became known in the Imperial Capital, it led to confusion and incredulity. What was happening here?

As it turned out, Xuan Su was simply using the revolt as an excuse to wage a local war with his neighbor and do what Xuan Su did best: steal lands from his fellow officials. Changshan Commandery was seen as the Gate into the eastern provinces, at least from Bing Province. Xuan Su had actually attempted to take the region during his short stint as an independent warlord, only to see his followers turn against him. The Governor never really let go of his ambition to expand east and take Changshan Commandery, something that Emperor Anwu was acutely aware of. This was why he had appointed Hu Cen as the new administrator of the commandery before they left to invade Yang Province. Hu Cen was an experienced general with little ambition of his own, with expressed orders to never allow Xuan Su to even approach Changshan Commandery. Except that Hu Cen was now an infirm old man on his deathbed, with his far less experienced son angling to get himself appointed as his successor. In this situation, surely no one would mind if Xuan Su came in to “stabilize the situation”.

Of course, this explanation did not fly with the Imperial Court in Chang’an. Emperor Anwu could see exactly what Xuan Su was trying to do, and he was not going to let him have his way. The Chancellor Pan Zheng agreed, petitioning that “the traitor Xuan Su be brought to the Imperial Capital in chains, so that the people could see the face of evil defeated by his Imperial Majesty.” But Emperor Anwu wasn’t willing to go that far. For all the problems that he caused, Xuan Su was a competent subordinate. Finding a replacement with the same military skills and with enough local influence to keep the province peaceful would be difficult. Instead, the Emperor had his Chancellor draft an edict ordering Xuan Su to lead his troops west and deal with the Di barbarian uprising. An exact number of troops was even demanded, just to make sure that the Governor didn’t send only a token army while continuing his offensive east. Infuriated, but realist about his chances against the Emperor, Xuan Su chose to obey and abandoned his little expedition east.

But the barbarian uprising of Ziren would prove an afterthought compared to the new threat that appeared by the end of the year. In December 220, a peasant army rose up in northern Yi Province against the authority of the Dynasty. What made them particularly worrisome was their goal. The rebels shouted “Bring back the Han! Return the true Dynasty!” at every town they passed by. They were carrying Han banners and performing sacrifice to the Han Emperors, pledging to remove the usurper and restore the Dynasty.

In January 221, a similar peasant movement appeared in Liang Province, the old powerbase of Emperor Anwu. From the reports arriving to the Capital, these rebels went from door to door, trying to find someone with the surname Liu to hail as Emperor. They eventually found a man named Tiankai, who claimed to be the secret son of Emperor Xian (189-201). His mother had hidden his existence from the evil Chancellor Jiang Xian to save him. But now that the Dynasty needed him, he could no longer live in obscurity. It was time for the true heir of the Han to overthrow the usurper! A nice story, if a made up one.

For Emperor Anwu, these were not good news. He had been expecting some sort of Han loyalist countermove, but he had always been convinced that this would come from the outside. One of the warlords refusing to acknowledge him would have surely enthroned his own little Han Emperor, thus ensuring that he be the next target of the Liang Imperial Army. But the peasantry rising up was a bad sign. They were supposed to be subdued and convinced of the good that represented the Liang Dynasty. If they started rising up, then the Han movement might spread to the whole realm. This needed to be nipped in the bud before it got too big.

Meanwhile, the barbarian followers of Ziren looked at this and wondered how to react. They saw this these peasant movements and wonder if they shouldn’t join in. Surely a newly restored Han Dynasty would be thankful enough to give them more autonomy? Yes, this sounded like a good idea to Ziren. But one of his subordinates named Duo came forward firmly opposing the idea. If they joined the Han loyalists, they would be crushed by the Imperial Army and executed as traitors. If their only goal was local rights, then they might be able to negotiate a deal with Chang’an, especially with Emperor Anwu now having bigger fishes to deal with. It was their one chance at a good life, and Ziren was throwing it away. But Duo’s opinion was the minority, and soon enough the Di barbarians declared themselves loyal to the Han Dynasty and ready to overthrow the evil Liang usurper.

But Ziren didn’t have long to celebrate (or regret), his hasty decision to rally himself to the Han cause. By the middle of February, the Imperial troops led by Xuan Su were approaching the barbarian villages that had joined in with the rebellion. Xuan Su being Xuan Su, he showed no sympathy toward his enemies, allowing his soldiers to slaughter, pillage and rape as much as they pleased. With his plans foiled by the Imperial Court, the Governor was in no mood to feel lenient. Ziren tried to rally his followers to protect the villages, but they were quickly crushed by the might of Xuan Su’s army. By the end of the month, the revolt had been brought to its knees. Most of the leaders, Ziren included, were captured and executed. Notably absent of this group was Duo, the rebel who had expressed opposition to joining the Han restorationists. Seeing how things were going, he had convinced Ziren to give him some troops for a dashing maneuver to strike at the back of the Imperial Army. Duo took these men and ran away with them, thus saving their lives from the ruthless punishments inflicted by Xuan Su on the captured.

While this was happening, a similar scenario was playing out in Yi Province. Xu Chu had been dispatched to deal with the rebellious host screaming Han slogans at the gates of the cities. The court in Chang’an refused to respond to this threat with half measures. Emperor Anwu personally charged his greatest and most brutal warrior to destroy these Han loyalists, with Xu Chu happily accepting his orders. The Marquis of Longxi (the title Xu Chu was granted by the Emperor) then made his way south, where he forced the local villages to either supply him or be destroyed. Those that refused were met with massive amounts of violence as “Han sympathizers”. It did lead many peasants to join the rebellion, but this also left a trail that led Xu Chu right to the rebels. After a few skirmishes, he managed to get to their camp and have them all slaughtered. Once Xu Chu’s victory was secured, Emperor Anwu ordered him to stay in the region to ensure that the local peasantry stayed in line.

Tiankai’s movement proved a bit more problematic to deal with. The general that was dispatched to deal with him was Yin Rong, who had gained some notoriety for crushing a small barbarian uprising while most of the army was occupied with the Yang Campaign. However, his progress toward Liang Province was proving slow, which should have allowed Tiankai the time to either fortify or recruit people to his cause. He might have even been able to build a movement similar to the old Liang rebellion if he had harvested barbarian support for his Han restoration. But none of this was possible due to the efforts of the local administrator whose lands he was occupying: Hu Zhen, the oldest supporter of Emperor Anwu.

When Hu Zhen realized that his people were rising up against the rightful emperor of China to support some Han wannabe pretender, he immediately mobilized the garrisons under his command. His offensive approach actually took Tiankai by surprise, who did not expect an imperial response so soon. The courageous and violent assaults of the old man forced the rebels on the defensive. Any resource that they could have put toward growing their movement had to be spent on fighting Hu Zhen and his men. But while Hu Zhen did well, he could not win. No only did he lack the troops, but he was not the most reliable commander. Already hindered by his occasional bouts of insanities, his age also proved a detrimental factor. By now he was in his mid-70’s, leaving him physically unfit to lead the troops at times. He was still able to hold until March though, at which point Yin Rong arrived with the Liang troops. Together, they were able to wage an offensive war against Tiankai, eventually capturing and executing him by the end of the month.

But two weeks before the defeat of Tiankai, the Han restorationist cause got its biggest boost in support, this time from outside the Liang Dynasty. The generals Ba Daiping and Tan Shenquan of the Chen Dynasty declared that they were starting a grand coalition against the Liang usurper to restore the Han Dynasty. Already Tan Shenquan was deeply regretting his decision to submit to Emperor Cheng and the Chen Dynasty, and by early 221 he was looking for an out. But Ba Daiping was the one to launch this whole campaign, which was strange considering the recent ties he had built with his emperor. But for the general, news of the Han restorationist brought a simple question to mind: “Wouldn’t it be simpler to just restore the Han and be done with this Liang and Chen business?” And so they launched their campaign against the Liang Dynasty, their goal being to restore the Han with themselves as pillars of this renewed regime.

This was baffling news to the Liang court. Hadn’t they just created their new Chen Dynasty five months ago? So why were Chen generals declaring themselves loyal to the Han? It would have made sense before Xiao Ru declared himself emperor, but now? Even Emperor Anwu couldn’t understand what was his rival’s plan for all this, a fact made even more complex by the exact same confusion found in the Chen court. Emperor Cheng had never approved this “Han restoration” coalition, leaving him feeling snubbed by his new subordinates for acting behind his back. While Tan Shenquan insisted that this was just an excuse and that the goal was actually Chen expansion, Emperor Cheng wasn’t stupid. While he did nothing against them for the time being (unwilling to throw his new dynasty into a civil war, yet), he did not lift a finger to help their war effort. He simply ordered his troops to ready themselves in case the Liang used this as an excuse to invade.

The only one who looked at this invasion with interest was Xuan Su, who as always wondered if he could not use this to his advantage. Yes, the peasant Han loyalists had been crushed, but it might spring back up if the two generals had enough success. And if this campaign seemed to gain enough momentum, it might be advantageous to join force with Ba Daiping and Tan Shenquan. The might of Bing Province would be a great asset to their cause, great enough that Xuan Su would surely be able to extract favorable power in the new Han regime. Maybe he could even be Chancellor of this restored Han Dynasty? He went so far as to pen a letter to the two generals, though in the end he chose to wait before making contact. A wise decision that certainly saved his career and his life.

Because Emperor Anwu wasn’t going to let these two “Han loyalists” just walk to Luoyang and restore the Han Dynasty. Leaving the Imperial Capital in the capable hands of Chancellor Pan Zheng, he took his elite barbarian calvary and made his way east, only stopping at the garrisons and army posts to add the soldiers to his force. In the end, he had more than 7000 Imperial Soldiers under his command, a far larger force than what the invaders had at their disposal.

Accompanying the Emperor was a new face in the Liang military hierarchy, the twenty-three years old Guan Tie. The second son of the great warrior Guan Yu (who died in 220), Guan Tie had decided to follow his father’s example by finding a cause to fight for. In his case, this cause would be the Liang Dynasty, which he saw as the future of China. He proved an apt young man, performing quite well at court and catching the eye of some higher-ranking officials. Soon after the start of the Yang campaign, he was appointed as Administrator of Cangwu Commandery, the most southern territories of the Liang Dynasty. His efficient handling of the barbarian in the region were lauded at court, which eventually led to his current appointment by the Emperor’s side. Emperor Anwu saw in Guan Tie the perfect example of what he sought in the future generation of Liang officers. Great generals with great military talent, little to no ambition, and who were not too stupid as to miss the signs of a potential usurper against the dynasty. If this campaign went well, then Guan Tie could expect a promising future.

Ba Daiping and Tan Shenquan had vastly overestimated their chances. By the time they arrived in the Liang Dynasty, the pro-Han movement that they hoped to rally around their banner had been utterly crushed, leaving them without allies. Even worse was the lack of support from the people they met. While on the borderland the harsh life constantly led to revolts, the people of the Central Plains welcomed the peace and prosperity brought by the Liang Dynasty. The last time that the Han was unified and peaceful had been before the Yellow Turban Rebellion four decades ago, and even then, it was a corrupt and broken state. The Liang was seen as a turning point, and most were willing to bet that it was for the better.

It didn’t help that while Ba Daiping was an excellent commander, he was no politician. He failed to rally the people to their cause, and mostly focused on the military aspect of their campaign while neglecting the political side of things. And then they met the Imperial Army of Emperor Anwu. The first battle between the two forces took place in June. While Guan Tie pointed out that they didn’t even need to field their full army at this point, the Emperor insisted. Those that defied the true holder of the Mandate of Heaven needed to feel their mistake. The battle was a slaughter, with half of the enemy soldiers killed or captured (and the captured ones were executed). The half-sized army fled close to the Chen border, hoping to resupply and try again. Sadly for them, the Liang army caught up with them in early July and forced them to another pitched battle. Most of Ba Daiping and Tan Shenquan’s men deserted right before the fighting started, with the two generals eventually choosing to do the same in order to save their lives.

Emperor Anwu would have gladly continued the pursuit until he killed those two, but they escaped to the safety of a six thousand men Chen army watching upon the border. The Chen force, led by Crown Prince Tung, were here to send a clear signal to the Liang army. The Chen would not let them pass. Xiao Tung sent envoys to the Liang army camp, offering to meet the Emperor on the border to discuss the illegal invasion of his territories and a way to end this peacefully. But Emperor Anwu refused to even meet the envoy, unwilling as he was to give the Chen Dynasty even an ounce of recognition or legitimacy. In the end, he chose to abandon this campaign knowing that his enemies had been crushed beyond repair. While he had the numerical advantage, the Emperor didn’t feel risking such an important battle knowing that his forces were spread through the empire, and he definitively worried about Xuan Su if he was to lose this fight. For his part, Xiao Tung lamented this missed opportunity to meet the great Yao Shuren in the flesh, to the surprise of his companions. Emperor Anwu thus returned home, victorious, but still frustrated.

 

[Zamarak500]

221-222: DRASTIC NONSENSE​

The end of the campaign also marked the end of Han support. From this point on, the Han was and would remain dead. Even members of the Liu Clan would from now on throw their lots with the new imperial regimes instead of seeking to restore their dynasty. The dream of a Han resurgence, once carried by the likes of Jiang Xian, Niu Fu, Liu Siyuan and Emperor Qianfei, was truly dead and buried. Even so, it all left a bad taste in the Emperor’s mouth. All he had done was crushed a problem that should have never appeared in the first place. On his way back to the Imperial Capital, Emperor Anwu’s reports to the court made it clear that he wanted some win for his dynasty that didn’t involve killing its own people.

Chancellor Pan Zheng had (as always) been waiting for such an opportunity to suggest ANOTHER campaign against the southern barbarians. Yes, his last two attempts had be complete disasters to astonishingly stupid levels, but that didn’t stop him from being convinced that this attempt would be the right one! Emperor Anwu proved receptive, although this time he wanted to take precautions against another fuck up. While the Chancellor would go south to prepare the campaign, the actual war would be waged by Xu Chu, who was still stationed in northern Yi Province at that point. The plan was for the Chancellor to prepare things while the Marquis of Longxi made his way to join up with him. With a confident expression, Pan Zheng made his way south in haste, arriving at his headquarters in late September. There, he was given a cup of milk that had turned bad. The milk was so bad that he died from food poisoning by the end of the day, aged 48.

Pan Zheng’s unexpected death caused something of a power vacuum in the provincial headquarters. Everyone would have expected his intelligent and ambitious wife Princess Xiaoya to ease herself into a sort of regency until her father could send a new official. Except that Pan Zheng had left his wife in Chang’an, finding her more annoying than anything and relishing this opportunity to get some alone time. In fact, he had left his entire family in Chang’an, including his son Pan Zhiyuan. At the time, Pan Zhiyuan had a terrible relationship with his father, as Pan Zheng refused to use his position as Chancellor to help his son’s career. It went so far as refusing his application to work for the Chancellery five times, with Pan Zhiyuan eventually landing himself a job in the Ministry of Justice. When Pan Zheng went south, he did not try to have his son accompany him, nor did Pan Zhiyuan express any interest in doing so.

This confusion about who was in charge was exploited by Zhuge Bogui and his sister Zhuge Xiaodong. When their father Zhuge Liang had been executed by Emperor Anwu, Pan Zheng had pleaded for their safety and taken them in his household. And now, their proximity with the Chancellor meant that they were present for the southern campaign, Zhuge Bogui as an officer and Zhuge Xiaodong as the wife of one. They declared themselves in control of Yi Province, with the brother as its new governor. Their father might have failed to create a powerbase in the south for himself, but his children would succeed. Soon, the rest of the province would be theirs, and the Imperial Capital would have to accept it as a fact. While it was unclear if they sought independence or simply to be acknowledged as the rulers of Yi Province in the Emperor’s name, it frankly didn’t matter.

Because two days later Xu Chu and his soldiers showed up at the city’s gate, still convinced that Pan Zheng was waiting for them to plan the campaign against the southern barbarians. Zhuge Bogui closed the gates and demanded Xu Chu to surrender him control of his troops. Xu Chu was utterly confused, but refused and demanded to see Pan Zheng so he could punch him in the face for even suggesting this. It was only when he was told of Pan Zheng’s death and that the city was under the Zhuges’ control that he finally understood the situation. He refused to surrender his troops again, and instead challenged Zhuge Bogui to a duel.

The tall and courageous Zhuge Bogui accepted, came out, and was brutally slaughtered by the great warrior, his head paraded in front of the walls as a warning. Zhuge Xiaodong then claimed herself the new Governor of Yi Province (even though she was a woman). But by then they had to barricade themselves into the mansion at the center of the city as the gates were being opened to Xu Chu. Two hours later, Zhuge Xiaodong’s insane belief that she still held control of the situation was ended when her husband killed her to save his own skin. It did save him, making him one of the few lucky ones not to be killed in Xu Chu’s violent reprisals.

When reports of this whole affair made their way to the Imperial Capital, it was said that Emperor Anwu was at a loss for words when presented the whole madness of this debacle. After the reports had been read in full, the Emperor just put his head in his hands and adjourned the court for the day. Once he did calm down however, he took two decisions. First, he cancelled the campaign. It was already going bad enough and he didn’t want to hear more of this kind of news. Second, he appointed the Marquis of Longxi as the new Governor of Yi Province. Xu Chu was already there and had been the one to end this mess, so it seemed like a fitting reward for his hound. And just like that, the most brutal general of the Liang Dynasty found himself with a massive province to administrate.

Not only that, but Xu Chu also received a keen prize that many sought through the empire: a betrothal between his family and the Yao Imperial Clan. The now widowed Princess Xiaoya found herself without a leg to stand on. For all the love her father had for her, the fact was that she had little political influence. This left her angry and frustrated, especially after years of being denied by Pan Zheng. In her ambition, she turned her eyes on Xu Chu. He was strong, competent, not too old and a clear rising force in the military. And more importantly, she would surely be able to act through him. She thus went to her father suggesting that Xu Chu should consider setting aside his wife to marry her. But the Emperor balked at this suggestion. She should be observing the customary mourning period, and he was not going to cause a scandal by allowing her to remarry yet. However, he did bring forward a compromise. Xiaoya would be betroth to Xu Jingze, Xu Chu’s third son who was only nine at the time. That way, Xu Chu would be promised a marriage and Xiaoya would be in the family of the general. Of course, this was not what the princess had hoped, but she realized that the matter was settled and could do nothing of it.

Of course, Emperor Anwu also needed to appoint a new Chancellor. While there were many officials and scholar that would have fitted the office just fine, he surprised many by turning to his old companion Hu Zhen. This immediately ringed alarm bells among the officials. Seeing this old insane general become the Chancellor was worrisome. Pan Zheng had been a famed scholar and a long-time member of the Imperial Bureaucracy before his appointment. Hu Zhen had been a general for most of his life, with only a few administrative duties all the way back in the 190’s and early 200’s. He was clearly unfit for the role, and was only getting this because of his close relationship with the Emperor. For his part, Emperor Anwu tried to alleviate his officials’ fears. Yes, this promotion was a disguised retirement package for the old general. And yes, he was not the most apt for the office, especially compared to his predecessor. But the Son of Heaven pointed out that after years of war, he was now back in Chang’an. He planned to be the one running the affairs of state, with his new Chancellor only here to advise him, not assist him. There was nothing to fear.

Pan Zheng’s body received proper funerals in the Imperial Capital, where people were given an opportunity to praise the work of the first Chancellor of the Liang, who had sadly died eighteen months into office. The likes of Duan Zuo certainly took this opportunity to praise his anti-barbarian views and his scholarly work. After all, Pan Zheng was one of the most learned scholar of his age, and his untimely death was seen as a lost by many (though his attitude would not be missed). Every single member of his family was present for the funerals, as was expected. This included his two grandsons Pan Jiazhen and Pan Shilang, and more notably, his half-sister Pan Yuyi. Pan Yuyi had, to the disgust of Pan Zheng, married a Sinicized barbarian named Cuan Fenli. This marked her as a pariah within her family, and she had not seen her brother in half a decade. Everyone paid their respect to the great scholar and Chancellor. While Pan Zheng had been a great scholar and an excellent statesman, his dream of reclaiming the south from the barbarians would be left undone, with this task now passing to the new generation of Liang officials.

At that time, the former barbarian rebel Duo was fleeing through the mountains of Liang Province. Earlier this year, he had abandoned the cause of his allies in order to save as much of his fellow Di barbarians as he could. They escaped together and made their way to the Qinghaixi Khaganate, which they hoped would be willing to give them asylum. But while the men were welcomed, Duo quickly understood that Khagan Dianlian would not risk the anger of Emperor Anwu by harboring a rebel leader. The Qinghaixi Khaganate was a tributary of the Liang Dynasty, and as its subject it could not openly hide such important enemies.

So Duo left the mountains of Liang Province and made his way to the Imperial Capital of Chang’an. His former companions were convinced that their commander was going to try to kill the Emperor in the name of their cause, to show the world what the Di tribes were capable of. But this was nowhere near the truth. Duo simply wanted to live, and to live comfortably at that. He didn’t want to flee each time, wondering if tomorrow he would be caught and executed as a rebel. Risking it all to save his life, he made his way to the mansion of the one man he knew might be able to save him: the Excellency of Works Mo Jie.

Mo Jie’s sympathies for barbarians were well known by this point. On multiple occasions, he had argued leniency against the non-Chinese living in Liang territories. While his efforts to help them had been mixed in term of successes, the barbarians still remembered his efforts. Even better, Mo Jie had the ear of the Emperor, even if their relationship had somewhat soured since the Emperor’s return to the Imperial Capital. Duo hoped that the old official might plead his case to Emperor Anwu and earn him a pardon. When he came to the house in which Mo Jie lived while in Chang’an, Duo fell to his knees and requested Mo Jie’s help. The old man was moved. Here was a barbarian who cared about the people ad who needed help. Immediately, Mo Jie declared: “I SHALL ADOPT YOU, MY SON!”

This left Mo Duo utterly confused, as he had come to ask for his safety. But Mo Jie saw in Duo the perfect heir to his ideas, the perfect man to carry the survival of the Mo Clan. In his sixties, Mo Jie had yet to produce a son to continue the family line, the pregnancies of his consorts always resulting in daughters. But now he had a man of the people in front of him, a good man. Mo Jie could not have hoped for a better son. He agreed to plead the case, but he also insisted on adopting Duo in his family. Duo, who saw this as his ticket to the good life he always dreamt of, quickly thanked his new father for the honor. And so Mo Jie announced the adoption of his new son Mo Duo, who he hoped to see pardoned for his former mistakes.

While adoptions were frequent in Imperial China, the adoption of a barbarian by a Chinese man was unprecedented and scandalous. Even worst was the timing, as Mo Jie announced this adoption only weeks after the funerals of Pan Zheng, when the memory of the anti-barbarian Chancellor was still fresh and celebrated. Officials were doubly outraged that Mo Jie was adopting a former rebel as his son. Had the old man gone senile? Ambitious young men, both in the army and at court, were also infuriated by this news. Some had been angling to be adopted by Mo Jie for years, yet this barbarian showed up in the night and now he was the heir of the Mo Clan? How unfair was this? And this said nothing of Mo Jie’s daughters, whose opinions of their new “brother” went from slight embarrassment to frustration that their husbands (and thus themselves) would be deprived of their father’s wealth once he passed away.

Mo Jie’s enemies were quick to use this to their advantage, spreading rumors that he must have been involved in the Di uprising. How else would he have been able to get in contact with Mo Duo? For his part, Mo Jie was confused at the situation. He just wanted to save his new son’s life. What was the issue? In the end, Emperor Anwu ended the discussion by granting Mo Jie his wish. After more than two decades of loyal service, the former rebel had earned this favor.

Mo Duo’s adoption was recognized and legalized. A pardon was also issued throughout the Liang Dynasty to celebrate the victory of the Emperor against the Han rebels. This official excuse was used to ensure that he did not appear to be favoring one official over others. But while the Mo Jie was granted his request, he was now political dead in the eyes of the Emperor. Be it the terrible timing of the request, the scandal it had caused, the favor that was cashed in or simply the adoption of a former rebel, this event marked the end of Emperor Anwu’s reliance on the former rebel. Mo Jie would find himself on the out. In 222, he would find himself removed as Excellency of Works. With no place in the inner circles of power, he and his new son would return to Kong Province, with the Emperor leaving his former subordinate to the provinces from now on.

By the end of the year, Pan Zhiyuan deposed a petition to the Emperor, suggesting that his sister Pan Xiaoji would make a good concubine for Crown Prince Yuan. He was eloquent enough in his words that the Emperor did see some value of his words. His son did need some concubines, and promoting a daughter of Pan Zheng would not see any pushback. Still, it was surprising to see Pan Zhiyuan make such a move, considering his tendency to avoid confrontation. Remembering his own daughter’s recent attempt to marry Xu Chu, he wondered if the boy was really the one who had the idea, or if he was just a mouthpiece for his sister. Never the less, Pan Xiaoji became a concubine of the crown prince, as requested.

The Emperor also asked around about Pan Zhiyuan, with officials saying mixed things about the late Chancellor’s son. Some found him arrogant and inept, while others said that he was well spoken and quite learned. He was certainly trying to make his career in the Capital without offending others, which often left him to be stepped on by his superiors. Deciding to give the young man a chance to make his proofs, Emperor Anwu appointed him Magistrate of Zitong, in northern Yi Province. This should give him some experience in administrative affairs, and maybe be the start of a promising career.

By that time, Emperor Anwu was already planning his next campaign. He could not sit idly as China was disunified, after all. But there was still one threat looming, one problem that needed to be fixed. The rise of the Han loyalists in his realm had taken him completely by surprise, and he was not going to make a similar mistake again. The Han threat needed to be neutralized before he left on campaign, or he might find himself with another Han revolt just as he left Chang’an. To achieve such internal peace, Emperor Anwu would turn to a ruthless solution.The thing that every Han revolt needed was a Liu Clansman to make emperor. The usurper Wang Man had been doomed by this sort of revolt placing a distant member of the Liu Clan on the throne, thus dooming his new Xin Dynasty. So the solution was simple: exterminate the Liu Clan.

Orders were sent throughout the Liang Dynasty that any man of the former Imperial Clan be rounded up and executed, not matter the rank, the wealth or the age. Through December and January, dozens of individuals were killed. Throughout the empire, men were taken out of their homes to be decapitated, their heads sent back to the Imperial Capital in the hope of a reward. Some Liu Clansmen survived the purge of their family by being close enough to the Chen border to flee. Some babies were spared by the kindness of a few morally upright officials. And some people were killed only for sharing the same surname as the former Imperial Clan. This was an efficient purge that doomed any lingering hope of Han restauration. It was so efficient in fact that Emperor Cheng actually considered doing the same in his empire. Why not rid himself of a similar threat? But his son Crown Prince Tung convinced him against it. “The Liang has showed its evils.” he argued. “As the successors of the Han, is it not our duty to protect our predecessors? By doing so, we stand over our rivals through morality and righteousness.” Emperor Cheng, liking the thought of having the moral high ground, agreed with his son (if only for cynical reasons).

________________________________________________________
PS: I just want to thanks @Dunaden for giving us Pan Zheng (173-221). He was one of the most peculiar characters of the story. Unlike the rest of the cast, he was neither a general nor a politician, just a scholar. And while at times it left him less involved in the story as I would have wanted, he did leave his mark. His stubbornly strong personality was definitively a memorable feature of his character. And for a man who only wanted to study in peace, he did have quite the rise to power, eventually becoming the first Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty, and a competent one at that (if you ignore his wild attempts to conquer the southern barbarians). His unexpected death took me by surprise, and he will be missed.

 

[Zamarak500]

220-222: A BRAND-NEW DYNASTY​

The Han was dead! The four centuries old dynasty had now been succeeded by the Chen, with Emperor Cheng as the true Son of Heaven! That usurper in Chang’an might claim that he was the true emperor of China, but Emperor Anwu was nothing more than a weak pretender. Chenguo hosted the real Son of Heaven, one that had far more prestige and grandeur than the usurper. True, his gout made it impossible for him to lead armies, or leave his palace… or sit on anything other than comfortable cushions without erupting in pain. And yes, his stutter wasn’t the most emperorlike trait that you could find in a monarch. But that didn’t change the fact that he held the Mandate of Heaven! Long live Emperor Cheng, the true ruler of China!

But with the disappointing agreement that ended the conquest of Qing Province, one threat still remained to the newly established dynasty. Ying Mo and his host, while weakened, were still marching through Qing Province, trying to seize it and hand it over to the Liang Dynasty. This could not be allowed to happen. Emperor Cheng had previously tried the diplomatic route with the son of his former liege, but this had proven to be a failure. Now he would need to dispatch a quick army to deal with the problem. He sent a small contingent of troops under the orders of General Ma Chao, who was promoted to General who Supports the Empire for this occasion. However, Ma Chao had been severely injured during the war with Tan Shenquan, leaving him hardly in a state to lead a glorious charge against the enemy. And with Emperor Cheng trying to influence this campaign, Ma Chao found his hands tied by the orders of the Imperial Court.

Emperor Cheng thus decided to use this opportunity to try and secure the loyalty of some of the Qing generals. His attention fell upon Ba Daiping, who had been Commandant of Qing Province and had been in favor of submission to the Chen Dynasty. An offer was sent to the general, suggesting that his oldest son Ba Gongbi be betroth to Princess Cha, the Emperor’s youngest daughter. This way, he might be able to move Ba Daiping away from Tan Shenquan and secure his loyalty to the new dynasty. This would not prove as successful as hoped, however. While the betrothal went through in November, Ba Daiping remained close to Tan Shenquan, with the former governor infuriated that the emperor went over his head in such a sleazy way. He was already starting to regret his submission to the Chen Dynasty.

But Emperor Cheng was not the only one making alliances through marriage. His crown prince also had an eligible daughter he was seeking to marry off. While Xiao Tung had been declared Crown Prince in a move to solve the issue of succession before it became a problem (like in the Liang Dynasty), that didn’t mean that the two of them saw eye to eye. One issue on which they didn’t agree was the general Hu Zan. While Emperor Cheng’s relationship with the general had been deteriorating over the years, Crown Prince Tung had grown closer to him, with Hu Zan doing his best to foster the military ambitions of the prince.

Desiring to seal this friendship with family ties, Xiao Tung offered to marry his older daughter Xiao Qiaoyun to Hu Zan’s second son Hu Weizhi. Of course, he first consulted with his wife Crown Princess Tanshihuai (Changle). At the time, Changle was pregnant with another child (which would be their last child, a girl named Xiao Zhi), so the thought of having her daughter leave her just as she was gaining a new child wasn’t a pleasing one. But after consideration (and accepting the fact that Xiao Qiaoyun would have to marry to someone), she gave her ascent to her husband. Hu Zan had always been respectful toward her despite her barbarian origins, and Hu Weizhi seemed a decent enough young man from what she heard.

The only one who wasn’t keen on the union was Xiao Qiaoyun herself, who found Hu Weizhi gross (he didn’t particularly take care of his appearance) and too old (she was 12 while he was 22). But with her parents now in agreement and Hu Zan excited at the prospect of this union. But her parents (and her father especially) were now dead set on the match, and Hu Zan was keen to obtain this connection to the Crown Prince. This left the young girl to go ask her grandfather Emperor Cheng to stop the match. But she was surprised to find him approving the marriage. While he didn’t like Hu Zan, he saw this as a good political move from his son to secure the Chen Dynasty once he passed away. Xiao Tung would need loyal generals, and Hu Zan was not a bad one to have by your side. Angered, Xiao Qiaoyan kicked her grandfather in his big toe, triggering immense pain due to his gout. In anger, he had the girl escorted by guards out of the palace.

Emperor Cheng also decided that he wanted some of his sons closer to him, if only to prepare them for important roles in the dynasty. Xiao Min and Xiao Dang were already competent enough, and Xiao Cang was currently serving under the Grand Commandant Chen Tiao. With the Crown Prince already living in the palace, this left Xiao Hanhe as the only son he felt he needed to prepare… or see, for that fact. It felt like his second son had been purposely avoiding him for years, even abandoning a place among his advisors to instead become Administrator of Chenliu Commandery. He didn’t even attend the proclamation of the new dynasty! Well no more! This time, he forced his son to come, summoning him to take his place as an advisor to the emperor. Xiao Hanhe agreed to this demand out of fear, afraid of what his violent father might do if he refused.

By January 221, some good news finally reached Chenguo. Ma Chao had challenged the troops of Ying Mo in Bocheng, one of the cities that had only recently been returned to Emperor Cheng by Budugen the Great. Ying Mo had hoped to seize these new territories before they could be reinforced by Chen garrisons, but the towns refused to accept him and instead warned Ma Chao of his presence. Sadly, the weakened Ma Chao had been unable to lead his small force to a quick victory. But this had been accounted for, as a large force led by Ba Daiping and Hu Zan marched to reinforce Ma Chao, resulting in a victory in the last week of December. Ying Mo was still able to weasel out of the battle alive though, leaving the war to continue until he was caught.

By that time, Emperor Cheng had decided to do his first reshuffle of the imperial government. He felt like some of these office holders had been either too incompetent in their duties or had simply been allowed to stay too long in their offices. The first one to get axed was Dian Wei, who served as the first ever Chancellor of the Chen Dynasty. And surprisingly, the popular general was proving decent at it, transitioning from the battlefield to the court with ease. He was well spoken, always certain of himself and clearly in a position of strength. But Xiao Ru decided that his general might be better used on the battlefield, and thus fired him only three months after his appointment. Dian Wei was shocked by this betrayal, which would eventually prove to be one too many for the great hero.

The choice of his replacement proved a lot more difficult than expected, with most of the potential candidates suggested by the court being other generals. And if Emperor Cheng was going to appoint another general as Chancellor, then he might as well have kept Dian Wei! Eventually, someone suggested the 29 years old Administrator of Liang Commandery, Ding Gongsi. Ding Gongsi had previously served as Assistant Administrator of Chen Province and was the son of a respected former official of the emperor, Ding Yan. More importantly, he was mostly known as a career bureaucrat, although he had a decent grasp of military affairs. Convinced, the Emperor summoned him to the Imperial Capital to take his post. Except that Ding Gongsi despised Emperor Cheng. He only accepted the office because he was a supporter of Crown Prince Tung and feared that the kind hearted prince might be pushed out of the succession by other princes like Xiao Hanhe.

Another casualty of these changes was Ying Hansheng, the brother of Ying Mo. While he had been a steadfast and loyal subject of the Emperor, keeping him in the inner circle was bound to invite controversy. Better to remove him before it came to that. Using the excuse that Ying Hansheng had failed to convince his brother to stand down, Emperor Cheng sent the official back to his county in disgrace. In his stead, the emperor would offer Tan Shenquan a place by his side, a move which surprised many. Emperor Cheng hoped to move his former enemy into the Imperial Capital, where he would be weakened and less of a threat. But Tan Shenquan saw the gilded cage that he was offered. While he thanked the Emperor and informed him that he would be on his way as soon as possible, he never left for Chenguo. There was no way he was risking a trip to the Imperial Capital.

With the war going well and his new Chancellor recently appointed, Emperor Cheng decided to start working on new imperial mint and on reworking the law books. The first plan was deemed too drastic to implement immediately, as both the Emperor and his Excellency of Works Yang Qub agreed that they didn’t have access to copper mines like the Liang Dynasty, which made the casting of new coins difficult. To go around this, Emperor Cheng suggested that the people should be encouraged to hand over the copper in their possession in exchange of back cash. While Yang Qub believed that they should simply take the copper as to not further weaken the treasury, he did not dare oppose the Emperor.

But what Emperor Cheng truly wanted reformed was the law system. While his enforcement of justice had always been seen as harsh by his contemporaries, he found himself limited to the Han law code. Now he wanted to make a new, harsher legal code that would reflect his views of law and justice. To set the tone of this legal reform, Emperor Cheng asked some of his scholar to go through the ancient laws of the Qin Dynasty to find worthy rules, even if the Qin was a dynasty known for its cruelty and was four hundred years old. Punishments were sure to be more severe under the Chen, with leniency against the lawbreakers a luxury that should no longer be afforded. Chancellor Ding Gongsi, who also believed in the use of cruelty against wrongdoers, hoped to put his own mark on this reform to enshrine his name in the history of the Dynasty. Needless to say, these incoming reforms was not popular.

It was around that time that news of the pro-Han revolts in the Liang Dynasty finally reached Chenguo. These were certainly mixed news for the Emperor. On the one hand, any report of instability within the Liang was to be welcomed. But it also left Emperor Cheng worried, as it might mean that he too would soon have to deal with Han loyalists within his territories. And he was right, though not in the way he had though. Ba Daiping, after abandoning command of the troops to Hu Zan and Ma Chao, launched a “coalition” against the Liang Dynasty to restore the Han. Tan Shenquan then immediately joined force with his general, hoping that this would prove the path back to power he desperately sought since submitting to the Chen.

Emperor Cheng was furious when he was informed of this. While Ba Daiping and Tan Shenquan sent envoys to Chenguo to convince him that they were in fact acting in the best interests of the dynasty, the Son of Heaven wasn’t stupid. He could see how his generals were trying to build their own power outside of his influence. Had his troops not been chasing Ying Mo (who was still alive with cities under his control), the Emperor would have ordered them to attack Ba Daiping and Tan Shenquan. But the absence of his generals provided one opportunity. Prince Hanhe and Prince Bin both suggested to their father that he should use this opportunity to capture the families of the wayward generals. And while Ba Daiping had taken his on campaign, the daughter of Tan Shenquan was found and taken back to Chenguo as a hostage against her father. This left the general enraged, especially when the coalition ended up in complete failure.

Of course, the betrothal between Princess Cha and Ba Daiping’s son was annulled after this incident. This opened the door to another general seeking to get closer to the Emperor: the administrator of Jiujang Commandery Ding Zhiguo. The one eyes uncle of Tan Shenquan had been serving Emperor Cheng for half a decade by now, but had always been seen with mistrust due to his previous loyalty to the Tao Clan. He now offered to enshrine his loyalty by marrying into the imperial family. He had been a widower for three years and hoped to be allowed to take Xiao Cha as his third wife. Emperor Cheng wasn’t convinced, as the man had a reputation for alcoholism. And at the end of the day, he was Tan Shenquan’s uncle. Ding Zhiguo thus promised that he would never touch Princess Cha, which strangely seem to endear the general to the princess. With this strange condition added and the opportunity to gain the permanent loyalty of such subordinate, Emperor Cheng eventually relented in September, with the couple being married at the end of the month.

In October, Ying Mo was finally defeated after spending most of the year escaping the Chen troops. The cities he had conquered were liberated, and his army quickly disintegrated. Even his support from the Liang Dynasty dried up, as Emperor Anwu found himself focusing his resources on the pro-Han revolts and then the planned southern expedition. The invader was finally captured thanks to the efforts of Hu Zan, who took full credit for this victory (even though Ma Chao was also present). Ying Mo would be transferred to Chenguo, where he would languish in a cell before being executed in February 222.

For his reward, Hu Zan was removed from command and ordered to return to the Capital to serve as the new Excellency of the Masses. This also put him at the Head of the Imperial Censorate, which was basically the same job he had been fired from two years ago. This series of firing and reappointments were starting to get on Hu Zan’s nerves, as he never stayed in one post long enough to leave a mark, to achieve the greatness he knew he was capable of. But even so, he was not about to refuse his first office within the new dynasty. Yet this would not be the lasting appointment he was hoping for, as five weeks later an official named Ren Duo was appointed in his place. Ren Duo was a master of court intrigues, and thus maneuvered to have the ambitious general sent back to his commandery as quick as possible. This worked perfectly, leaving Hu Zan feeling slighted by the whole affair.

But this appointment also marked the removal of another official: the Excellency of Works Yang Qub. Some believed that he was too young to occupy such an important position and that he only got the job because of his late father, the general Yang Weili. Yang Qub tight grip on the coffers of states and his paranoia about the various constructions projects he saw as wasteful did not gain him any friends either. As always, he was too shy to defend himself in front of court, resulting in Emperor Cheng removing him from office only a year after his appointment.

To replace him was an older official, Luo An. In his defense, Luo An was just as competent as Yang Qub, and had views that aligned far more with the Emperor than his predecessor. Even better, he had passed Han Imperial examination in the late 190’s, meaning that he had an actual right to governmental offices. Unlike the appointment and replacement of Hu Zan, the choice of Luo An was welcomed by everyone, who saw him as a perfect fit to be Excellency of Works.

It was around that time that an interesting offer came to the Imperial Court. On the northern border of the Chen Dynasty stood Bohai Commandery. It had been ruled since 193 by Yuan Tan, who had been instrumental in the fall of the great warlord Gongsun Zan and had since been able to rule his territories as an independent warlord. But Yuan Tan had died from cancer last year, leaving his territories to his fourth son Yuan Rei, who was only four at the time. Due to his age, a regency had to be put in place, which explicitly excluded Yuan Rei’s ambitious uncle Yuan Shang. After a year of trying to get control of his nephew, Yuan Shang took more drastic measures and revolted in March 221.

Now the regents of Yuan Rei were seeking allies to help them against Yuan Shang. With the rebellious uncle blocking their path west, they had no choice but to send envoys south to the Chen Dynasty, asking Emperor Cheng for support in saving the rightful administrator of Bohai Commandery. But the Emperor looked at this situation and simply saw an opportunity to expand his dynasty. He proudly declared that he would send the Imperial Army to Bohai Commandery to restore peace and ensured that Yuan Rei kept his post as a subject of the Chen Dynasty. This last part was not what the envoys wanted, and they tried to plead the Emperor to simply assist Yuan Rei, for which Bohai Commandery would become a steadfast ally of the Chen. But Emperor Cheng was set on conquering the commandery. The envoys were forced to return home and warn the regents that an invading Chen army was to be expected.

But two threats from the inside would slow down this planned expansion. First was a peasant uprising from the Fangyu countryside at the end of November. Fangyu was the city from which Hu Zan was administrating his commandery. He ruled it efficiently and with kindness toward the populace. But he was a bit too efficient for their taste when it came to collecting taxes, which the general always made sure to collect in full. With the new harsher laws being introduced by the Emperor, some peasants decided that they had enough and rose into revolt. Within a week, four thousand peasants had joined under the banner of rebellion.

But they were disorganized and inefficient, something showed by their inability to force Hu Zan to surrender Fangyu even though his garrison was ten times smaller than their peasant army. The general even managed to rout them after a courageous exit that pushed the rebels away from the region. They were then crushed by the Grand Commandant Chen Tiao. At first ordered to come to Chenguo to plan the invasion of Bohai, the revolt saw the court forced to change plan and send him to deal with the problem. The old man was quick to destroy the peasants, ending this uprising before the end of the year.

The second issue came in March 222. By that time, the Imperial Army had reached Bohai Commandery and was fighting the forces of the rebellious uncle Yuan Shang, who had the upper hand in the Bohai civil war. But these early successes in Bohai threatened to weaken Tan Shenquan even more than before. He wished to reclaim an independent Qing Province for himself, now fully convinced that his surrender to Emperor Cheng had been a massive mistake on his part. If Bohai was conquered, then it would leave his free Qing Province surrounded by the Chen Dynasty. Unwilling to find himself trapped by his enemy, Tan Shenquan decided to risk it all and rose in revolt against the Chen Dynasty. Fifteen months after its founding, the Chen was facing the first civil war of its history.

To his dismay, most of his former subordinates refused to join him in his challenge of the Emperor. Even He Jintao and Ba Daiping decided to stick with the Chen Dynasty, believing the revolt doomed and that the odds of an independent Qing Province were far weaker against the Liang Dynasty than that of the Chen.

But Tan Shenquan found supporters, ones that had previously served Emperor Cheng against him. First was Ma Chao, who was furious at the court’s attempts to interfere with military affairs. Not only that, but joining a revolt against an evil tyrant like Emperor Cheng reminded him of his old fight in the Liang mountains with the rebels like his father, Han Sui or Mo Jie. In his heart now burned a flame that had been extinguished two decades ago, the flame of justice against a tyrant. But more surprising was the presence of Dian Wei, who had been serving the Emperor for almost two decades by now. Yet the constant barrages of appointments and firings had taken a toll on his loyalty. His removal as Chancellor had proven too much, and now he sought another man to fight under. With these two great generals by his side, Tan Shenquan could hope that maybe victory would soon be in his grasp. And Xiao Ru would pay for taking away his province.

 

[Zamarak500]

222: ANWU VS CAO CAO​

When he formed the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Anwu’s plan to unify China was to conquer the bigger threats first, thus leaving the other warlords no other choice but to submit to him. He had started this strategy by invading Yang Province, which had proven to be a great success. But the creation of the Chen Dynasty and the pro-Han revolts led the Son of Heaven to reconsider his approach. The appearance of a dynastic rival changed the whole game, and he now needed to consider this carefully. Yes, he could probably conquer this new dynasty in one campaign, but this was not a certainty. Such war would be extremely costly for the Liang Dynasty, even if he won. This might leave the path open for a third player to rise up and seize the day. If Emperor Anwu was annoyed by the existence of a second dynasty, the appearance of a third would be enraging. Better to clean up the other warlords before duking it out with the Chen pretenders.

And the first warlord of that list was Cao Cao. In the last years of the Han, he had surprisingly expanded to the point of being the third biggest warlord in China. While the troops at his disposal were nowhere near that of the Liang (or the Chen), the genius of Cao Cao could surely compensate for this or any disadvantage that he faced. His surprising expansion was extremely frustrating to Emperor Anwu, considering that the man’s only claim to fame was a failed attempt on Dong Zhuo’s life 33 years ago. He spent most of his life since as a small warlord with little to no impact on China, someone who shouldn’t have become a problem. Yet here they were, with Cao Cao forming a literal wall between the Liang and the Chen. If someone was to ever form a third dynasty, it was this man. Which is why the Emperor needed to take him off the board as quickly as possible. In late January 222, the Liang Dynasty launched it’s campaign against Cao Cao, with the goal of claiming his lands for the Liang.

As he made preparations for the military campaign, Emperor Anwu received a written request from his Excellency of Works Mo Jie. He was seeking a marriage for his new son Mo Duo and wondered if Princess Xiaoya was still available to remarry. Emperor Anwu thought this was some sort of joke. His favorite daughter was still betrothing Xu Chu’s son, after all. But it turned out that no, Mo Jie was genuinely asking for this betrothal to be annulled so that Yao Xiaoya could marry someone closer to her age. Surely this was an acceptable deal, right?

This enraged both father and daughter. The Emperor had allowed the adoption and pardoned Mo Duo, but this was too much. His daughter marrying a lowly barbarian, and a traitor at that? Unacceptable. And the princess hated the idea just as much. Already she was going to marry the son of a great general instead of the general himself, and now she should settle for an even lower marriage? There was no way she would allow this savage anywhere near her. Even Crown Prince Yuan, now sixteen years old, presented a petition at court condemning this insulting proposal by the Excellency of Works. Mo Jie tried to justify himself, being extremely confused at the controversy, but as always it only made things worst. By the time Emperor Anwu left Chang’an to go on campaign, Mo Jie had been removed from office and ordered to go back to his province, leaving the Imperial Capital humiliated. As for Mo Duo, he eventually married Bao Mingyue, daughter of a dead official from Yi Province named Bao Ming (a contemporary of Pan Zheng in the late 190’s).

Believing that this campaign would be an easy war due to the size of the Liang army, Emperor Anwu decided to go take command of the troops himself as to shore up his prestige. The familial scandals, the rise of the Chen Dynasty and the pro-Han revolts had left a blemish on his new regime, which he now felt needed to be rectified. Another war just like that of the Yang campaign to show everyone that he was the true holder of the Mandate of Heaven. Of course, he also took by his side Xu Chu, his fastest rising general. In the three years since the founding of the Liang Dynasty, Xu Chu had become Marquis of Longxi, General who Manifests Might (a title he was once again given on this campaign) and Governor of Yi Province. Quite a career that seemed only to be waiting for a place among the inner circle of Chang’an.

But the Emperor also ensured that some younger officers were brought on this trip as to build up a future generation of military leaders. Among those were the brothers Guan Tie and Guan Ping. Guan Tie, the second son of Guan Yu, had already been noticed by the Emperor, and had made sure that the young man served under him against Ba Daiping’s “coalition”. However, his older brother Guan Ping was also proving to be a competent military leader, though he lacked his brother’s skills to be anything else. Guan Ping now served as Administrator of Zhao Commandery, an office previously held by their father. While Guan Ping was considerably older than his younger brother (he was 43) and injured due to a hunting accident, he still had the potential of rising within the ranks if he did well on this campaign.

Ass the troops assembled, Emperor Anwu also took a good look at his Crown Prince and became worried. Clearly Yao Yuan was not made of the same mold as he was. Understandable, considering that he spent his life in army camps, while the Crown Prince spent his at court. The boy was learned, yes, and he did manage to make his way through court politics well enough. But he clearly lacked an understanding of the state. The multiple pathetic excuses used by the Crown Prince to avoid going on campaign only made the Emperor more worried about the future. Thankfully, he had prepared for this, and over the last few years he had written a book for his eventual successor, which he called “The Seven Founding Principles to Rule”. He hoped that this book would be useful to Crown Prince Yuan once he took the throne, and hopefully help him become a better monarch.

But while all these preparations were taking place, Cao Cao made an early move. Instead of attacking the center of the Liang Dynasty and move against a symbolic target like Luoyang or attack the rich Jing Province in the south, he moved toward the northern mountains of Bing. He planned o take the important fortified cities between Bing and Ji Province and force the Imperial Army to face him in disadvantageous situations, all while he pillaged Bing Province. Of course, news of this move did not sit well with Xuan Su, the Governor of Bing Province. He might have been happy to let the Emperor and Cao Cao duke it out in the south. But now that his territories were threatened, he found himself forced to act.

Xuan Su immediately started to raise troop and prepare the defense of the mountain passes. He raised around half the number of troops under Cao Cao’s command. Xuan Su quickly took position in a mountainous pass that he believed defendable enough and prepared himself. Envoys sent to the Emperor to warn him of the enemy’s approach never came back, making Xuan Su fear that they had been captured by Cao Cao. All he could do was hope that the Imperial Army would arrive in time to assist him. The Cao army finally appeared in May, scouts reporting that it was camping close to their position. And no sign of Emperor Anwu…
_______________________

Xuan Su was sitting in the home he had requisitioned at the center of the village. Jingxing was a village situated on the hills that separated the mountains of Bing Province and the plains of Ji Province. A good position to stop the enemy from entering Bing Province. Even if they were defeated (which they would probably be without imperial support), they could retreat to the mountains and slow down Cao Cao’s advance.

“Cough! Heh…”

Damnit. He was coughing blood again. He felt frail as he continued to spit blood. Years of fighting a sickness that did not want to surrender had left him a pale shadow of the vigorous young man he once was. He was already stressed enough by the handling of his multiple schemes, but now he had to endure his weakening body. At least he still had enough strength to lead the defense.

“Cough!”

“Father!”

Xuan Lu came to his father’s side, but Xuan Su immediately shoved him off in anger. It was already humiliating to be in this state. Receiving help would be unbearable. And if the troops heard that he had become too old and sickly, then it might affect morale.

“Let me be!” he shouted as he pushed his son away in frustration.

Xuan Lu, taken aback by this, simply obeyed and took his distances. Honestly, Xuan Su didn’t understand why his son had even wanted to come. He knew that the boy was aiming for a promotion within the imperial bureaucracy, but there were other ways to do so than accompany him on this campaign. Xuan Lu had his place not in the army camps, but at court, where he could dress well and entertain others with his oratory skills. While he did like the mountains, it was only because it allowed him to interact with the barbarians. Xuan Lu was one of those young idealists who bought Mo Jie’s ideas of friendship and cooperation with the barbarians. While Xuan Su knew how to use the northern barbarians to his advantage, that did not mean he considered them his equals. With ideas like that, he had no place on the battlefield. But Xuan Lu was ambitious, and so insisted that this was the faster way to get the promotion he sought. And really, it was not like Xuan Su could tell him not to follow his ambitions.

So Xuan Lu was present for the defense against Cao Cao. That was not the case of his oldest (living) son, however. If Xuan Lu felt at odds within the army, Xuan Mei would have been a source of ridicule. The hunchback had always been looked down by others, much to the annoyance of Xuan Su. But while he could see that his son had developed a tendency to avoid conflict because of this, he also noticed that Xuan Mei was taking pride in his lineage. Yes, he was a hunchback, but he was the heir of Xuan Su, the greatest man of China. And Xuan Mei was a decent enough speaker with some basis in administration. When Xuan Lu asked to join the defense, Xuan Mei instead offered to administrate Bing Province in his father’s absence. Xuan Su could only agree. If something happened to him, then at least Xuan Mei would be safe to retain all the power he had built (assuming that Emperor Anwu didn’t oppose it).

“Didn’t I tell you to go check the supply, Lu?” he finally asked after he finished coughing.

“I was but…”

Xuan Lu stopped himself, looking around at some of the other officers present. There was clearly something that none of them wanted to say, but someone needed to spit out. Xuan Su frowned. This only happened when they had terrible news for him. Knowing that none of them would come forward without a small push, Xuan Su decided to point of the officers out as to save his son from the embarrassment.

“You…. Cough! Heh… spit it.”

“Governor, we, hum… We caught deserters. A least three dozen of them.”

“By Heaven, can things get any worse?” Xuan Su complained.

“We still have no news from his Imperial Majesty and the Grand Imperial Army.”

Xuan Su glared at the officer who was stupid enough to answer this open question. He sighed and took a moment to think.

“The deserters.”

“Y-Yes?” one officer answered.

“Cough! Cough!... Are they still alive?”

“We have them in custody, father.” Xuan Lu explained. “We can have them flogged whenever you give the order.”

“Flogged? No, no, no. We won’t flog them.”

“We could hang the ring leaders.” one officer suggested.

“Lingchi. All of them.”

“Governor?”

Looking at the confusion in their eyes, Xuan Su grunted in annoyance.

“Death by slow process. The lingering death. The death by a thousand cuts. Doesn’t that ring a bell? Anyone?”

“Father… All of them?”

“Yes.” Xuan Su answered.

“B-But Governor. We need every man available.”

“Which is why we better give the soldiers a taste of what awaits them if they try to desert.”

“But… hum… how should we even process doing this?”

“You cut the arm, then the body, always avoiding vital points! I’m not asking you to write a thesis on Confucius, I’m asking you to kill a man! SO GET TO IT!”

“Y-Yes!”

“Wait.” Xuan Su ordered before most of them left. “If the men start protesting too much, just execute the deserters. I want to convince the soldiers to stick around, not drive them into mutiny.”

“Yes, Governor!”

The officers left to go prepare the executions, with only Xuan Lu staying behind. There was going to be a lot of screams in the camp for the days to come. Maybe even enough to drown the sounds of his awful cough. He was in the middle of one of these bloody coughs when a man in uniform entered the building and fell to his knee.

“Governor!”

“Cough, cough! What now?”

“Cao Cao sent an envoy! He gave us a letter for you.”

The soldier presented a bamboo scroll, which Xuan Su coldly snatched out of his subordinate’s hands.

“Leave me.” he ordered the soldier.

“Yes!” the man said before making his hasty exit.

Xuan Su started to read the letter in silence. It was a safe decision, considering its content. His eyes grew wider as he took in the words written in the scroll. He had to admit it, Cao Cao knew how to make an enticing offer.

“What does it say?” Xuan Lu asked, the curiosity getting the better of him.

With a smile, Xuan Su simply answered:

“Cao Cao wants me to join him.”

“T-To betray the Emperor?” Xuan Lu asked, troubled.

“He wants us to join force. Once we defeat the Liang and split Ji Province, we would both stand as two of the most powerful men in China. He even wrote a rough strategy on how to achieve such victory.”

“What will you do?”

“Cao Cao clearly gave this idea some thoughts.” he said with a wicked smile. “I should thus do the same.”

Joining Cao Cao and betraying Emperor Anwu. This idea certainly had value. If Cao Cao was as good as they said, then this might be doable. He would finally reclaim the power and independence he had been craving for all those years. Maybe he could even declare himself Emperor of his own dynasty. If this Xiao Ru fellow could do it, then why no him. Yes… Emperor Xuan Su certainly had a nice ring to it. He had spent years trying to build his own powerbase in the north, and now he was given an opportunity to put it to good use.

But his eyes then noticed a red stain on the ground. Blood, his blood. His eyes then darted to Xuan Lu, and this sadly put everything back into perspective. Even if this betrayal succeeded, his declining health meant that he would probably not be the one handling what came next. Had it been ten, maybe even five years ago, he would have been confident that he could build a state from such betrayal and leave it stable enough for his sons. Now though… With Cao Cao and Emperor Anwu on his border (and that didn’t even account for the Xianbei Confederacy), his successful betrayal would only doom his family once he was gone. As much as it pained him to admit it, he needed to remain loyal. At this point, his own dreams would have to play second fiddle to the future of his Clans. If he could not achieve greatness, then he needed to make sure that his sons were in a position to do so. And this was not going to happen by pulling such a wild and dangerous betrayal.

“Burn the letter.” he ordered his son. “Never mention its content to anyone.”

“Should we send a reply to Cao Cao?” Xuan Lu asked.

“Why?” Xuan Su answered with a grin. “The doubts over my loyalty may be our only advantage, so why waste it?”
_______________________________________

But whatever advantage Xuan Su hoped to gain proved useless. Once Cao Cao and his generals realized that Xuan Su wasn’t going to switch side, they launched their assault. They spent the first two days harassing the defenders. While it resulted in minimal casualties, it certainly affected the morale and the resources of Xuan Su’s soldiers. Some Cao soldiers even managed to make their way in Jingxing and destroy the granary. Now doomed to starve if things didn’t improve, the defenders were made aware that Cao reinforcements had blocked their escape route After two more days of waiting, Cao Cao ordered the conquest of the city.

The fighting was ferocious, but the sickened Xuan Su knew that they were doomed. At least until his men came to him with tears in their eyes. They screamed: “The Emperor! The Emperor is here!” And indeed, as he looked down on the plains, he could see the massive Liang army, led by Emperor Anwu himself. Now caught between Xuan Su’s forces and the far larger imperial army, Cao Cao found himself trapped. Just as the Emperor had planned. He quickly ordered XU Chu to launch a daring charge on the enemy, followed by a relief effort from the rest of the troops. Xuan Su and his men were broken out of their encirclement, and now victory seemed certain.

What happened then? They had the numbers, the defensive advantage, the knowledge of the terrain, and great commanders to win the battle. So why did this become the greatest defeat of Emperor Anwu’s entire life? Well, there were many factors. Cao Cao had planned for this and prepared accordingly. Xu Chu, while a great commander, was not the best tactician. The Liang army was divided between the task of defeating Cao Cao and breaking free the encircled troops of Xuan Su. But really, one of the main causes of this failure was the overconfidence of the Emperor. His whole life had been nothing but success after success, victory after victory. By now, this had led him to become somewhat arrogant about his military capabilities. The idea of actually meeting a match on the battlefield never even crossed his mind. For him, Cao Cao, while competent, did not compare to him. No one compared to him. So this defeat proved quite the reality check for the Emperor.

But he was not the only one to be shocked by this turning point. For many across China, this brought into question the legitimacy of the Liang Dynasty itself. After all, a clear sign that one held the Mandate (and the favor) of Heaven was victory on the battlefield. While it was clear that Emperor Anwu had previously been favored by Heaven, considering his unification of more than half of the Han territories, this embarrassing defeat opened the door to a simple question: did he still hold the Mandate. The Chen Dynasty was quick to answer with an enthusiastic no, even as it was struggling with a civil war within its borders. But a large group of peasants reached the same conclusion, rising in revolt close to the site of the battle. Obviously, this revolt was only possible thanks to a hefty amount of support from Cao Cao.

Xuan Su had a plan on how to salvage this debacle. Yes, they had lost, but they shouldn’t focus on that. Instead, they should promote his defense of Jingxing and the ability of the soldiers to resist the invader. They didn’t fail to push back the enemy; they stalled its dangerous advance. This ought to be celebrated! Emperor Anwu loved this spin on the facts, but he hated that it meant rewarding Xuan Su. Still, this proved the best victory he could hope for, so he agreed with the propaganda idea. For his efforts, Xuan Su received two rewards for his sons. Xuan Lu was given the promotion he had always dreamed of, as he was soon appointed Magistrate of Leiyang. This appointed in the south of Jing Province was a move on the Emperor’s part to distance the Xuan Clan from their home in Bing Province, which he hoped would weaken their powerbase.

The second reward was a betrothal between Xuan Zian, Xuan Su’s third oldest living son, and Princess Ki, the Emperor’s oldest child. Yao Ki had been widowed a year ago and was still young enough to produce children (she already had four, including her bastard son with Hu Cheer). Unlike her sister Yao Xiaoya, Yao Ki was happy at the prospect of marrying the young son of such a powerful governor. She certainly saw the advantages that could come from this, both for her and her now fatherless sons. But while the marriage would take place, it would prove an unhappy one. Xuan Zian would never been keen on his older wife, and the lack of children from their union led to rumors that he shunned his wife’s presence as much as possible.

But the propaganda and the rewards did nothing to improve the situation in the camps. Morale among both soldiers and officers was low after the defeat at Jingxing. While Xuan Su and the likes tried to enforce strict military discipline, Emperor Anwu tried to give his soldiers some leeway as to give them a chance to recuperate. Except these looser standards came just as an epidemic of slow fever erupted in the camp. The disease cost the lives of a few hundred men, including the promising young officer Guan Tie. Emperor Anwu had singled him out as a promising example of the future generation of Liang officers. Now he was dead at the age of 24.

But all these depressing developments were turned upside down by unexpected news in June. Cao Cao was dead. The victory at Jingxing would prove his last trick, and he died in the first weeks of June at the age of 67. The problem (at least for Cao Cao’s supporters) was that almost every single one of Cao Cao’s son had preceded him in death. Because of this, his succession was never fully settled, leaving the whole question up in the air when he died. His generals quickly abandoned the campaign and retreated to Dong Commandery and declared the only son of Cao Cao as their leader. But Cao Mang being only a year old, this meant that the generals would be the ones running the show.

Yet not everyone in the family agreed with this. Since the generals had brought their whole forces in Dong Commandery, the rest of the territories controlled by Cao Cao found themselves without support from the army. This left many civilian officials frustrated, a frustration that was exploited by Cao Xi. Cao Xi was the result of the marriage between Cao Ang, Cao Cao’s eldest son, and Lü Bu’s daughter when the two warlords formed an alliance against Gongsun Zan. As the eldest son to the eldest son, Cao Xi had a lot of reasons to expect to be the next heir. When he wasn’t, the competent young men took things into his own hands. He managed to seize the Julu and Qinghe Commanderies, which represented two thirds of his father’s territories.

And then there was the third Cao heir: Cao Fang. Cao Fang was something of an anomaly, mostly because he was neither the son nor the grandson of Cao Cao. He was instead the son of Cao Ren, a distant cousin of Cao Cao and one of his key generals. But Cao Fang was not with his father when Cao Cao died; he was in control of the city of Julu. Realizing that the situation could allow him to make his own path (and that he had more troops in his county than Cao Xi in his two commanderies), Cao Fang refused the authority of Cao Mang or Cao Xi. He now saw himself as a new independent warlord, free to achieve his own ambitions.

This proved a welcomed development for Emperor Anwu, who only weeks before was facing the full might of Cao Cao. With most of the Cao troops serving under Cao Mang, the Emperor decided to turn his attention on the other two. He quickly dispatched an envoy to Cao Fang and convinced him that he would recognize him as the true heir of Cao Cao in exchange of his submission. Seeing this as a way to preserve his territory and hoping for further advancement, Cao Fang agreed. With him neutralized, this left the massive target that was Cao Xi. If Cao Xi was defeated, then this whole campaign could be salvaged. In late June 222, Emperor Anwu announced that soon they would be reclaiming Ji Province, starting with the lands held by Cao Xi.

 

[Zamarak500]

222-223: UNCOMPROMISING PRIDE​

Tan Shenquan, along with two of the Chen Dynasty’s greatest generals, had now rebelled with an intent to break away and reform an independent Qing Province. News of this revolt only made Emperor Cheng curse his previous willingness to settle the issue diplomatically. He should have crushed that brat and have his whole family executed. Same with that no good former rebel Ma Chao! But what shocked him the most was the betrayal of Dian Wei. He had showed nothing but respect to Dian Wei, always giving him key commands and important offices throughout his career. He was one of the Emperor’s most prized subordinates. Yet here he was, rebelling against his rightful master. When some officials dared suggest that the Emperor’s tendency to fire his officials for no reason might have caused Dian Wei to rebel, Emperor Cheng had the officials flogged. They died from their punishment.

But even with a civil war on his hands, Emperor Cheng took the strange decision of ordering the campaign against Bohai to continue. If they could do damage to the rebels while there, then all the better. But the focus, at least for now, would be Bohai Commandery. This confused Chen Tiao, who argued that they should focus on the war with Tan Shenquan first, as it was a far bigger threat to the dynasty. But the Emperor was adamant. He still remembered how the wars with Xu Province had stopped him from annexing Dong Commandery all those years ago, thus allowing it to fall in Cao Cao’s grasp. Now the stakes were far greater with the Liang Dynasty on their borders. If they didn’t take advantage of Bohai’s weakness, then Emperor Anwu would. The Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army would spend the following months skillfully arguing the value of focusing on the civil war, eventually achieving his goal. But for now, he could only relay the orders of the Emperor, as a loyal subject would.

Still, some fighting between the Chen troops and the rebels took place, though this was mostly due to the loyalists crossing path with their enemies as they moved north toward Bohai. The first took place as Hu Zan was ordered to go lead five thousand troops toward Bohai to help accelerate the conquest of the commandery. Hu Zan was just as baffled as Chen Tiao that the troops were not focused against Tan Shenquan and the rebels. What was the Emperor thinking? Knowing that he was on the out with Emperor Cheng, he instead tried to influence things by writing a letter to Crown Prince Tung where he detailed his complains about the current strategy. In the meantime, Hu Zan decided that his army had to “take a shortcut” while going to Bohai. This just happened to led them right into a rebel army. Poor Hu Zan thus had no choice but to fight the rebels. This proved a light engagement, with the rebels fleeing as soon as they started to amass losses.

A similar scenario happened with Ding Zhiguo, though in this case the number of troops were reversed. Ding Zhiguo found himself at the mercy of the main rebel army, led by his nephew himself. Ding Zhiguo, once he realized that enemy scouts had noticed his army, tried to open dialogues with his nephew, hoping that he would be willing to let him pass. But Tan Shenquan offered his uncle an ultimatum: switch side of be defeated. Having recently gone through the effort of cementing his loyalty to the new dynasty by securing himself a marriage to Emperor Cheng’s daughter, Ding Zhiguo could not switch side in good conscience.

In the end, only one of the Chen officers managed to escape: Chen Gongwei. The promising young man had been promoted to Administrator of Xiapi Commandery and general to fill the vacancies left by the rebels. His was able to escape with a small part of the troops. As for Ding Zhiguo, he was captured by his nephew. Tan Shenquan once again offered his uncle to switch side, and once again he declined. While Tan Shenquan was furious, he still insisted that his uncle be handled with the upmost respect. Some soldiers wanted him executed, but their leader refused to harm his relative, even if he was not of the Tan Clan. A commendable act that would ensure that Ding Zhiguo survived this conflict.

News of this reached the various armies thanks to the escape of Chen Gongwei. This made things especially awkward for Ba Daiping, as he was currently leading the campaign against Bohai Commandery. Having previously been a follower of Tan Shenquan, his status as one of the great generals of Chen was now put into question, especially his insistence on obeying the Emperor’s war plans. Was he trying to help his former liege by keeping the Chen army occupied? Was he secretly a traitor? But in truth, he was just too stubborn to abandon a winnable campaign, being convinced that they could easily take Bohai Commandery and then turn around in time to stop Tan Shenquan.

With Ma Chao and Dian Wei having fled to join the revolt, new officers had to be appointed to serve with Ba Daiping in Bohai. He found himself with an older man and a far younger subordinate. The first was the former Administrator of Dong Commandery, Ban Qiao, who had temporarily seized it from 210 and 211. He had since grudgingly joined Emperor Cheng and now served as an experienced general, if not an amazing one. The second officer was the competent Liu Derun, formally the Prince of Rencheng. He had been the first member of the Liu Clan to surrender his titles out of loyalty for the soon to be Emperor Cheng and was now rewarded for this by being given a small command to make his proofs. He would impress Ba Daiping with his versatility, proving to be the start of a long and successful career.

Ba Daiping proved quite successful in Bohai. He was able to handle the army of both sides with ease. At first, he challenged the forces loyal to the regency of Yuan Rei, but they were reticent to engage the Chen army. Undeterred, Ba Daiping simply forced them to battle, which they easily lost. He was then reinforced by 300 new troops to ensure that victory would be theirs. Ban Qiao then suggested that they move against the commandery’s headquarters, which was just fine with Ba Daiping. The regents were able to muster a small force to try and stop them and block their path. But if they had failed to stop the Chen Imperial Army before it received reinforcements, then their hoped of victories were close to none. Ba Daiping had fun crushing this pathetic attempt at an army, with the entire Bohai force being killed on the field of battle (including the commander). By July, they were making their way toward Yuan Rei at a rapid pace, with Hu Zan soon to arrive to reinforce them.

But while they were in their camps, the forces of Ba Daiping were attacked by rebels in the middle of the night. Not even the rebels of Yuan Shang, no. Tan Shenquan’s rebels. The attack was led by Ma Chao and a small force of volunteers, with the goal of killing the Chen generals in the middle of the night. No one saw this attack coming or was able to prepare for it. Ban Qiao was the first victim of this assault, the rebels quickly finding his tent and killing him as he was waking up. They failed to find Liu Derun, but they did identify the tent of Ba Daiping. They would have attempted to kill him too had Hu Zan not made a timely arrival that convinced the rebels to flee. When corpse of Ban Qiao was found, Ba Daiping was furious. Hu Zan used this opportunity to make a suggestion. Damn the orders from Chenguo, and damn Bohai Commandery. They needed to defeat Tan Shenquan, or at least bring an end to this civil war. HBa Daiping, after a few days of convincing, agreed. By early July, they assembled their troops and prepared to march south.

Of course, news of this blatant disobedience did not sit well with Emperor Cheng. At the time, the Grand Commandant had, after numerous painful attempts to change the Emperor’s mind, succeeded in convincing him of that the civil war needed to be their priority. Chen Tiao’s task had been made even more difficult by the efforts of the new Excellency of the Masses, Ren Duo. Among its duties, the Excellency of the masses was supposed the handle court when the Emperor was absent or unavailable (though the important affairs of the state were still handled by the Chancellor in that situation). With Emperor Cheng often struck by his gout problem, this left Ren Duo to organize the daily court while ensuring that direct access to the Emperor be restrained. Emperor Cheng actually enjoyed this, making him feel more important and exclusive due to the difficulties to talk with him. Thankfully, the Chancellor Ding Gongsi handled written reports from the officials and the provinces. And unlike Ren Duo, he did not distrust the generals and made sure that their complains and advices reached the Emperor. Thanks to this, Chen Tiao was eventually able to convince his liege that the revolt had to be crushed.

But the fact that the generals disobeyed orders just as the Emperor was agreeing with them only made the Emperor convinced of his own ways. He especially became convinced that his generals didn’t know what they were doing, and that only HE could save his dynasty from Tan Shenquan. So he started meddling with military affairs once again. This was shown in the appointment of a new Imperial Councilor to replace the captured general Ding Zhiguo. After months of refusing to pick a replacement, Emperor Cheng eventually settled on an old Liu Clansman named Liu Xi, who served as Administrator of Langye Commandery. Liu Xi didn’t like the Emperor, but he saw this as the best way to rise in the bureaucracy. And once he was close to Emperor Cheng, he started warning him against giving too much power to the generals. After all, wasn’t this what killed the Han?

But complains kept mounting. The generals were sending requests to be allowed to do their job and end the civil war. Hu Zan also kept a correspondence with Crown Prince Tung, in which he told the prince “If his Imperial Majesty refuses to let us wage a war the right way, then it would be wise for him to pursue the wisdom of peace and conciliation.” But the generals weren’t the only one complaining about the Chen Emperor and his court. Many officials within the Imperial Capital found themselves denied access to the Emperor, with Ren Duo seeing the advantages of limiting access to the Son of Heaven as much as possible. This made the Excellency of the Masses a hated figure among the courtiers, who saw him as a no-good snake with little political tact. Meanwhile, the Chancellor found himself submerged with reports demanding more funds or complaining about the new harsher laws of the Chen Dynasty.

In this chaos, news arrived that the Imperial army of Ba Daiping and Hu Zan had finally engaged the rebel forces of Tan Shenquan in January 223. The rebels had already conquered a few cities by the time the Chen army arrived. Tan Shenquan wanted to avoid such battle, as the Chen army was twice as large as his own rebel force. However, Hu Zan sent letters to the rebel camps and ordered his troops to shout insults at them. Dian Wei and Ma Chao were quick to insist that these insults be answered with swords, and Tan Shenquan eventually agreed. Ba Daiping and Hu Zan then led a skillful attack against the rebels, ensuring a great victory. At the request of Ba Daiping, a demand of surrender was then delivered to the rebels. Surprisingly, Tan Shenquan responded that he was willing to reach a compromise, though it is unclear how honest he really was. This offer of negotiation was sent to Chenguo with news of the victory. But instead of praises, Emperor Cheng criticized his generals for failing to capture Tan Shenquan and winning the civil war.

And this is when Yi Shing entered the picture, a young man with great ambitions. He had been appointed administrator of Donglai Commandery a year after the founding of the dynasty at the age of 17. His talent and ambitions had been noticed by the Emperor, who after multiple recommendations promoted him to his current post. Yi Shing was also delusional about his own self-importance, to the point of lunacy. And now he went to the Imperial Capital in order to singlehandedly bring an end to this conflict. He believed that a compromise should and could be reached with Tan Shenquan, one that would satisfy both side while ending the bloodshed. Emperor Cheng should simply appoint Tan Shenquan Governor of Qing Prince. The general stayed loyal while getting back the province he sought. Problem solved!

But the issue was the Yi Shing was unable to present this idea to the Emperor. When he wrote to the Chancellor from his commandery in late 222, Ding Gongsi dismissed the idea out of hand, never allowing it to reach the Emperor. He knew full well that Emperor Cheng would never agree, so why hurt his career by suggesting it? When Yi Shing showed up to court to meet the Emperor (convinced that he would be allowed to meet him), Ren Duo ensured that this young nutjob never got anywhere close to the Emperor’s palace. But Yi Shing wasn’t going to surrender like that. If he couldn’t gain access to the Emperor, he knew that the princes could.

He first tried to approach Prince Hanhe, who served as an advisor to his father and thus was probably the one with the most influence on the government (at least that’s how it looked from the outside). But Xiao Hanhe, as scared of his father as always, refused to even consider the idea, though he did direct Yi Shing toward the Crown Prince. Xiao Hanhe knew that Xiao Tung might have the guts to oppose their father, a foolish move that he did not understand. Access to the Crown Prince’s palace proved a lot easier, as Xiao Tung was always happy to receive others and hear news about the war. Yi Shing was quick to present him with foolproof plan to end the civil war. While Xiao Tung humbly admitted that he didn’t understand all the details, he did agree that the war needed to end. He had also been receiving reports from his friends and allies, all telling him that something had to be done. Not only did Xiao Tung agree to bring this up to the Emperor, but he wanted Yi Shing to accompany him.
_______________________________________________________

Xiao Bin was waiting as the guards opened him access to the Emperor’s palace. He took this moment to sigh at the reason of his presence. Grand Commandant Chen Tiao had asked him to come to the Imperial Capital to try and alleviate the Emperor’s fears about the generals. His younger brother Xiao Cang had first been asked, but the relationship between Cang and their father had turned for the worst recently. Rumors had it that Xiao Cang was starting to lose it, or maybe he was just getting too bold for his own good. He started criticizing his father’s policies openly, even though he refused to leave to go fight on the frontline. In the end, Xiao Cang refused to leave for Chenguo, and their father would probably not have seen him anyway. So Xiao Bin was the one who had to go.

While he knew that he could easily achieve this goal, Xiao Bin still felt that he was no the right man for the job. After all, he somewhat agreed with his father. The generals needed to be subordinated to the court and restrained in their actions. His personal experience with the general Hu Zan had only convinced him that these men of strong personalities needed to be kept on a tight leash. If anything, his esteemed father’s main fault had been his unwillingness to allow a stable government. If he had kept his advisors on for a longer period of times, then discontent could have surely been avoided.

Finally, the guards allowed him in. He knew the way toward the Imperial bedchamber, where his father now received most of his guests. Getting out of bed was becoming difficult for the monarch due to his gout, so most of his private audiences took place with the Emperor in bed. As he approached the waiting room, two servants bared the path forward. Protocol, as always. You couldn’t barge into the Emperor’s bedroom without authorization, even if you were a prince.

“Tell his Imperial Majesty that I have arrived.” Xiao Bin told one of the servants with a bored voice.

“Right away, your Highness.”

The servant quickly moved out as he performed a bow to the prince, who simply paced around the room in wait. After twenty minutes, Xiao Bin came to the conclusion that his esteemed father must be in the middle of another important meeting. While his father liked to make others wait, he did not delay any important business if he could. Whatever criticism you could lay at his father’s feet, being lazy wasn’t one of them.

“Bin?” said a voice behind him.

He turned around to notice his half-brother Xiao Hanhe, who had just entered the room. Hanhe was slightly taller than him, though just as badly dressed (according to others, as Xiao Bin didn’t see the problem). His clothes were badly prepared, with some falling to his shoulder. He seemed a bit surprised to see his brother, though it wasn’t clear if he was happy or not. Their relationship wasn’t exactly great. Not only did Hanhe not share the same mother as the other Xiao brothers, but he was something of a bore. For someone who valued himself so much, Xiao Bin always found his older brother dull at best.

“Hanhe.” he responded, staying as neutral as always.

“I see that you are here to see father too…”

The way Xiao Hanhe avoided his gaze made Xiao Bin nervous. Was he uncomfortable in his presence? If that was the case, then this was a new development. More likely, he didn’t like being close to their father’s room. He had been like this since… well, since mother was strangled in front of them ten years ago. Which is strange, considering that she wasn’t Hanhe’s mother. Of all of them, he would have expected the second son to be the least affected. Yet it seemed that it was instead Bin and Dang that came out of this with a shrug, and only Bin seemed to have understood the lesson.

“Too? Are you supposed to have an audience with the Emperor?” Xiao Bin asked.

“M-me? No, no! I am just going to drop… hum… this report for him! No need to meet.” he said, as if trying to excuse his behaviour.

Sure enough, Xiao Hanhe produced a scroll and handed it to one of the servants, who humbly brought it in the Imperial Chamber. The two brothers then waited in awkward silence. Xiao Bin had questions, but he was not really interested in making conversation with Hanhe, a sentiment that seemed shared by his older brother. In this complete silence, Xiao Bin noticed that faint voices could be heard from the Imperial bedchamber.

“His Imperial Majesty is in the middle of an audience, I see.” Xiao Bin commented.

“Our esteemed Crown Prince is debating the war with him, as he is well versed in these affairs.” Xiao Hanhe answered.

While most would have missed it, it was clearly a jab at Xiao Tung. It wasn’t hard to guess that Hanhe was jealous of their older brother’s status as the heir. Xiao Bin couldn’t really blame him, as he understood the feeling far too well. He personally felt that he would probably be the more apt for the role of Crown Prince. But unlike Hanhe, he also supported Xiao Tung. The two had always been close since their young age, with Tung trying to act as a protective older brother even though he proved Bin’s inferior in most affairs. Xiao Tung was the Crown Prince, a place he had earned by being born first. And if Bin couldn’t be Emperor, then he would ensure that Tung was a great one.

But shouting started to come from the imperial bedchamber, distracting the prince from his thoughts.

“Such compromise could end the war!”

“T-T-TRAITORS! ALL O-OF THEM!”

“But father!”

“G-GET OUT!”

Moments later, two men emerged into the waiting room. The first he didn’t know, a young man who darted out of the room as soon as he appeared. But the other he easily recognized. His clothes alone made it clear that he was the Crown Prince. For all his humility, Xiao Tung always dressed appropriately to his station. As he entered the room, he was grasping his beard, a look of frustration on his face. He clearly lightened up once he saw his younger brother, though, and quickly darted to Xiao Bin.

“Bin! It has been a while!” he shouted as he grabbed his brother by the shoulders. This always took Bin by surprise.

“I salute the Crown Prince.” Xiao Bin said once he had regained his composure.

“None of that between us Bin.” the Crown Prince said with a wide smile on his face. “How was your trip? I hope the rebels didn’t cause you problem.”

“There was no incident. In any case, the Grand Commandant provided me with an escort.”

“Good, good. Chen Tiao proved competent as always.” Xiao Tung added. “Oh, is your family present? Changle would be happy to host them in our palace.”

Xiao Bin smiled, but didn’t answer. His wife and children were present, but he knew that his wife Gongsun Shengqiong didn’t like the barbarian Crown Princess. He was doing his best to avoid the subject as to not offend his brother.

Thankfully, Xiao Tung’s attention shifted to their brother, who was still in the room. Xiao Tung immediately felt embarrassed at this mishap. Unlike Hanhe or Bin, the Crown Prince made no efforts to hide his embarrassment or his lowering excitement.

“Hanhe… I see you are here too.” Xiao Tung said awkwardly.

“Brother.” Hanhe said, trying to avoid being too formal while not being too familiar.

“I see you too want to speak with our imperial father.” Xiao Tung said.

“No, actually I just came to…”

“His Imperial Majesty will now see the two princes.” said a servant, cutting off Xiao Hanhe.

“No, as I was saying…”

“The Emperor said both princes.” the servant repeated in an apologetic manner.

Xiao Hanhe’s face did not change much, but the weakening of his posture made it clear that he was abandoning any hope of protesting. Xiao Bin simply hoped that he could get on with his own affairs without being hindered by his brother’s presence.

“Bin,” Xiao Tung started, “please try to convince father to negotiate. I am told that this war needs to end, but he is being too proud to admit it.”

Xiao Bin didn’t want to, but if his brother was asking then he would at least try. After offering a nod of confirmation, Xiao Bin and Xiao Tung were led into the imperial bedchamber. The room was a lot less impressive that one might expect, especially the lack of jade, gold or jewels. When asked about this, Emperor Cheng had explained that while he wanted to project his imperial authority, the coffers of the state needed to be used on useful projects instead of frivolous decorations. The only thing that was clearly of the highest calibers was his bed, which had been handcrafted and fitted with the most comfortable mattress. And of course, the color yellow was present on the walls and the bed, as it was the color associated with imperial power.

While he was still in bed, the Emperor of the Cheng Dynasty was in a seated position, his back relaxing on various cushions. He was a in his full imperial costume, which strangely didn’t look out of place in this high-class bed. Even in this situation, their fathers. He waved his sons to approach, trying as always to get through life with as few words as possible to hide his stutter. The two sons advanced and fell to their knees, saluting the Son of Heaven as he was owed.

“We thank his Imperial Majesty for according us this audience.” They both said in unison.

“Respect.” Emperor Cheng nodded approvingly. “T-Tung should learn f-f-from you t-two.”

The brothers looked at each other with worries. If he was stuttering that much, then he was probably in a foul mood.

“If the Crown Prince offended his Imperial Majesty,” Xiao Bin started to explain, “then it must have been a misunderstanding, after all…”

Xiao Bin had more to say in his older brother’s defense, but Xiao Hanhe stopped him with his hand before shacking his head. Clearly the second son didn’t want them to antagonize their father.

“Tung, that b-brat!” the Emperor fumed. “Wants to g-g-give t-those traitors w-what they w-want! HE D-DOESN’T UND-DERS-S-S-… He misses the p-point!”

Neither brother was certain how to react, so they wisely allowed their father to continue his rant.

“T-Tung is n-naïve! He doesn’t g-get the b-basis of rulershe-ship! How d-dare he speak to me li-like this? I have c-clearly m-made a mis-st-stake when making him C-Crown Prince!”

This caught Xiao Bin’s attention.

“What?”

“Bin. You are far b-better than Tung, or any of your b-brot-thers.” Emperor Cheng told him.

Xiao Bin couldn’t see his brother’s face, but he could guess that this must have hurt to just kneel there and take this in silence.

“Come closer.” their father ordered him.

Once he did, his father seemed to calm down, weighting his words and repeating them in his head to make sure that he got them right.

“You are smart. You are like me. You should be C-Crown Prince, not Tung.”

“But…”

“Don’t you want it?” asked the Emperor.

Xiao Bin was shocked at this proposal. The position of Crown Prince, the succession to the empire. He was offered his secret dream, just like that. The possibility to become Emperor, to continue the dynasty. And now his father was offering him to position? He really wanted to say yes… but he was also smart enough to see the problems it would cause. Xiao Tung was popular. Having him deposed as Crown Prince would certainly bring divisions that were unnecessary at this critical juncture. It would leave the Chen divided, and worst-case scenario might lead to a civil war for the throne. And more importantly, how could he ever face Xiao Tung against after seizing what was his? While he knew that he would make a great emperor, his older brother had to be the heir in order to preserve the unity of the Chen Dynasty.

His decision made, he bowed all the way to the ground and said: “I beg his Imperial Majesty to reconsider! Please give Crown Prince Tung another chance!”

Clearly, this was not the answer his father had been hoping for. His expression grew darker and more severe.

“Out.” he simply whispered.

The two princes didn’t wait for him to repeat. They quickly exited the bedchamber. And Xiao Bin could only wonder if he had done the right thing.
_____________________________________

While Xiao Tung would remain the Crown Prince, this did nothing to solve the problem of the revolt. Emperor Cheng had refused any deal with the rebels, instead wishing to crush Tan Shenquan and see him dead. But Yi Shing didn’t feel deterred! Because now that the Emperor wouldn’t help, then he just had to turn to his backup plan. A genius backup plan! He left Chenguo as soon as his audience was over and reached the army camp of the Chen army to propose his crazy idea. It was simple, really. All they needed to do was to raise their own banner and destroy both the Imperial Army and the rebel, thus forcing them to accept the compromise and bringing peace, unity and friendship to the Chen Dynasty. This was a dubious plan that barely made any sense.

Except that people listened. Most officials and generals agreed that this war could be ended easily, including the officers who had just crushed Tan Shenquan seven weeks ago. Hu Zan, Ba Daiping and Liu Derun all agreed to join Yi Shing, with half of their troops also defecting to this new revolt (if it could be called that). But they weren’t alone. Ban Xuanling, the son of Ban Qiao, felt that his father died for a war that could have been avoided. Ying Hansheng, who had been unceremoniously removed because of his brother Ying Mo’s invasion, hoped to use this to get some influence back. And Sima Fu, Administrator of Taishan Commandery, simply wanted this war done before the Liang Dynasty tried to take advantage of the situation. Through his intransigeance and his prideful nature, Emperor Cheng now found himself with a far greater revolt on his hand, one that left him vulnerable and without his best generals.

 

[Zamarak500]

222-223: ON THEIR WAY OUT​

The campaign against Cao Cao had not resulted in the crushing victory that Emperor Anwu had expected. If anything, he was lucky that the old general died when he did, as the Cao army might have taken advantage of their victory at Jingxing. But Heaven had clearly favored the Emperor once again, saving him from a disastrous fate and providing him with an opportunity to correct his previous failure. Cao Cao’s succession had turned into a dispute, with his generals on their way back home to support Cao Mang’s right to succeed while Cao Xi seized two commanderies for himself. Just like that, the Emperor could redirect the campaign to ensure a victory, with the weaker yet larger territories of Cao Xi proving the perfect target.

But while some moves were made toward Cao Xi and his territories, the following months were mostly spent rebuilding his army after his recent defeat. This needed organisation and preparation, with new recruits fetched in haste throughout the Empire. In this, the Emperor was assisted by his Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army, Yang Xiu. Due to being better with the administrative side of his office than the military one, Yang Xiu spent the recent wars closer to the Imperial Capital than the battlefield. It also allowed Yang Xiu to continue being a pain for Xuan Su, which was always a plus in the Emperor’s book. The Grand Commandant, who was worried about the rewards given to Xuan Su for his defense, used this opportunity to openly criticize the Governor, though it had little effect on the Emperor.

One man who dearly wanted to go take the fight to the enemy was the Chancellor Hu Zhen. The old man wasn’t adapting to his new office as the Emperor might have hoped. While he was humble and trying, he was also quite the passive Chancellor, content to simply let things go and be handled by the Excellency of the Masses (Xu Shu) or the Grand Tutor (Duan Zuo). And then there were his bouts of insanity, which made it difficult for him to be an active member of the imperial court. He knew that his place was on the battlefield, not surrounded by whispering courtiers and conniving officials. He sent a request to Emperor Anwu, pleading that he be granted a place in this campaign. But the Son of Heaven refused, insisting that he needed him in Chang’an. Emperor Anwu would later regret not granting Hu Zhen’s wish.

This decision was in part motivated by reports of the new Excellency of Works. While removing Mo Jie from office had been a quick affair, it turned out that the potential replacements were less skilled than he was in his duties. In the end, the appointment fell on Huo Du, who served as Administrator of Yingchuan Commandery. The issue was that many questioned his loyalty. After all, Huo Du had first been promoted by Yuan Shu, only to refuse to help his liege when he needed it. Again, there was an attempt to make him an integral part of Emperor Qianfei’s regime, but he never trusted the Han restorationists and proved unwilling to help the Emperor when the Han was “liberated” in 210. So many wondered if the man could be trusted to be loyal to the Liang Dynasty (he wasn’t). Huo Du was a scheming, self-serving and arrogant man. But Emperor Anwu had at least half a dozen of these at his service, so by now he knew how to use them while keeping them in check.

With Guan Tie dead and Guan Ping too hurt to continue leading troops in the foreseeable future, Emperor Anwu had to pick new commanders to serve by his side on this campaign. The first pick was an obvious one: Xu Chu, the Marquis of Lingxi. He was truly the most aggressive and ferocious commander in the Liang Dynasty, if not in the whole of China. And because of this, he had proven quite useful to Emperor Anwu over the years, especially since he usurped the throne of the Han. No one had risen as fast as Xu Chu in the Liang Dynasty, and now he would once again prove his usefulness by ensuring a complete victory of the Liang against its enemies.

But by his side was also a new general, one promoted from within the ranks of the Imperial Army. A survivor of the recent defeat, Zhang Dezong had long served in the Liang army, having first joined when the Emperor seized control of Yi Province in 207. He had been rising slowly, but steadily. And the recent deaths among the officer corps allowed him to be finally noticed. It helped that he personally sent nine requests for promotion to the Emperor, who was impressed by the man’s resilience and determination. He was made Administrator of Cangwu Commandery and a general in the Imperial Army to assist on this campaign, though he would not be given the same autonomy granted to Xu Chu.

But what happened with that peasant revolt supported by Cao Cao? Well, it turned out that the problem solved itself before Emperor Anwu could send his troops to deal with it. As the Cao generals made their way back home, they were confronted by the peasant leaders, demanding to know why they were leaving. Once the generals had explained their situation, the peasants became enraged. They had been promised support from Cao Cao and now they were going to be abandoned like it was nothing? They blocked the path of the Cao Army, demanding that they stay to assist them in their revolt. Sick of this and hasty to get back and secure control of Cao Mang, the Cao army simply crushed the peasants, ending the whole affair in August 222.

All fine, except for the fact that another revolt appeared only a month later. This one was on the northern border and led by some Xiongnu barbarians. They were the result of Xiongnus forced into the Liang Dynasty by the Xianbei Confederacy, which was pushing them out of their home. The Liang officials were unable or unwilling to handle such a migration, which led the barbarians to turn violent and attack the border posts. The Northern Xiongnu horde, still led by Qubei Khagan, was quick to send weapons and supply to the rebels, hoping that this might prove their way back to relevance.

Most of the Imperial Army was in no position to go handle this revolt, as they were in the middle of crushing what Cao Xi dared to call an army. But Xuan Su was still in his province, right where he needed to be to handle the problem. He first tried a more diplomatic option, always willing to use someone before disposing of them. He offered the Xiongnus an opportunity to work for him as mercenaries, promising them great campaigns. But they didn’t want a campaign, they wanted a home. After they refused, Xuan Su decided to boost the morale of the provincial garrisons by bringing them together on a little trip on the border. There, they happily slaughtered the barbarians, who only wished for a place in the empire. Of course, Xuan Su was quick to exaggerate the numbers, turning this small affair into a heroic fight to push back an invading horde.

223 started with Cao Xi’s army destroyed, but his cities ready to hold for months against the sieges of the Liang invaders. But while the campaign was going well, this would prove a year of losses for Emperor Anwu. The first of these losses came in February, when news that the general Yin Rong had died at the age of 55. Yin Rong had been the last warlord to willingly submit to Emperor Anwu before he took the throne and succeeded the Han Dynasty. Because of this, he had been given the opportunity to serve the new dynasty by commanding troops against various rebellions, although he never served in the main campaigns of the Emperor. At the time of his death, Yin Rong had been given the important task of guarding the Liang-Chen border, which he had been doing admirably. One competent subordinate gone, and a lot more to go.

The next departure came two months later in April. The Grand Commandant Yang Xiu fell ill, and after a few weeks of declining health, he finally died at the age of 48. He was the son of Yang Biao, one of the architects of Dong Zhuo’s assassination, and the grandson of Chancellor Yang Ci of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He had risen to be a powerful official in the Liang, serving as the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies, and was also Xuan Su’s prime rival within the dynasty. His death, alongside that of Pan Zheng, greatly reduced the pool of talents of the next generation, the one that would replace Emperor Anwu and the older officers once they were gone. As for the many commanderies he held, they were divided among new officials, as per the order of the Emperor.

Of course, the choice of a replacement was not difficult, although Xuan Su hoped to make a case for his promotion to the office. But by the time he heard of Yang Xiu’s death and sent a messenger to the Emperor’s army camp, a new man had already been picked as Grand Commandant. The choice of Xu Chu made perfect sense in the situation. He was a great military commander, probably the best of the dynasty. And he was ready to command troops. Emperor Anwu thus gave the general the last missing piece of his resume: a promotion to the highest military function in the Liang Dynasty.

The third death was a lot less surprising, yet a lot more impactful for Emperor Anwu. Messengers from Chang’an came to tell him that the Chancellor Hu Zhen passed away in his sleep on the 4th of June 223 at the age of 77. The man was truly ancient, and it was already surprising that he survived long enough to see the birth of the Liang Dynasty. Yet all Emperor Anwu could think of when he heard the news was how he refused this last chance to fight alongside his old friend. Hu Zhen had been supporting him since Dong Zhuo sent them to deal with the White Wave Bandits in 190, and they had known each other for most of his life. Without Hu Zhen, he would have never been able to succeed Guo Si and form the Liang Dynasty. And now he was gone. After hearing about the death of his old friend, Emperor Anwu shut himself for a full day, and even refusing his meal on two occasions. This obviously left his followers worried, though he thankfully regained his usual composure the following day.

Even with the shock of the news, Emperor Anwu still appointed a replacement within days of Hu Zhen’s death. The choice fell on another old man, who just like Hu Zhen might not have been a perfect fit for the office. Zhou Pu was 67 with a bigger interest in military affairs than bureaucratic ones. But he was more interested in talking strategy than seeing it on the battlefield. In fact, he liked talking and was actually quite sympathetic, if a bit too trusting. For now, he would be a good placeholder until the Emperor could return from campaign and appoint someone over a longer and more detailed selection process.

It was around that time that the regents of Administrator Ding Hou started weighting their options. Ding Hou was the teenage son of Ding Zhichao, a post-Gongsun Zan warlord who managed to seize three commanderies before his untimely death in 208, and the grandson of Ding Kai, who was known as Lü Bu’s Commandant and main ally in You Province (Ding Hou was also the first cousin once removed of the Chen general Ding Zhiguo). The regents administrated a decent number of lands for their charge, but they also realized that their territories were surrounded by threats. On their western border was the expanding Liang Dynasty, a constant danger for any warlord in this day and age. On their eastern border was High Chief Jiang Qinming, a Chinese man who adopted barbarian religion and customs, and who now served as Budugen’s tributary.

With Ding Hou soon old enough to take control of his government, they decided to safeguard the future of their territories before handing him power. They sent letters to the Liang Dynasty in May, asking to know if Emperor Anwu might be willing to annex their territories, even going as far as to invite him to come himself. However, this was nothing but a wicked ruse. They hoped to assassinate the Emperor while he was in their home and then send his head to Budugen the Great, thus securing themselves more autonomy as a tributary of the Xianbei Confederacy than as a part of the Liang Dynasty. The scheming regents quickly prepared for the arrival of the Emperor.

What they didn’t expect was for Xuan Su to arrive in early June at the head of a small army. He was welcomed as the Emperor’s envoy and allowed to parade in the city. But to the regents’ shock, the Governor of Bing Province had them arrested for their attempted betrayal of the Son of Heaven. The regents were then tortured and executed. He then forced the young Ding Hou to submit to the Liang Dynasty, after which Xuan Su had the news announced throughout the city. So how did Xuan Su become aware of their plot? The answer is that he didn’t. He simply came to annex more lands “in the name of the Emperor” while the Liang army was occupied (old habits die hard). Xuan Su simply arrested them and accused them of a totally made-up conspiracy against Emperor Anwu, and it was only days after their execution that he became aware that there had actually been a real plot in preparation.

When he informed Emperor Anwu of all this, Xuan Su made sure to mention in his letters that thanks to his army he had the situation well under control. However, he also advised that the Emperor restore You Province and appoint him as its new governor, just to ensure that the situation was truly stabilized. And it was subtly hinted that Xuan Su would simply return to Bing Province if his suggestion was ignored. With his troops. That were keeping the peace. In the end, Emperor Anwu once again had to accept that Xuan Su had masterfully played his cards. But the Emperor also took in consideration the governor’s declining health. Soon enough he would be able to appoint his own governor. But for the moment, Xuan Su would be allowed to revel in his control of the northern frontier. It didn’t really matter, as the Emperor was convinced that he would outlive Xuan Su.

It would prove to be a safe bet. The trip east had been taxing on Xuan Su’s body. By the time he returned to Bing Province, he needed to be kept in a litter, always lying in a bed. Even then, he remained stressed, notably about the future of his children. While resting, he kept asking for news from Xuan Lu, wanting to make sure that is son was alright in the south. Finally, he died from consumption on the 13th of November, 223. In 33 years, he went from a small officer serving a border administrator to the governor of two provinces, the master of northern China and a key player of the Liang Dynasty. And he achieved this through his sheer ambition (and a lot of betrayals, of course). He would not be missed by anyone outside of his immediate family. It is said that upon hearing of his death, the Emperor sighed in relief and exclaimed: “At last, we can sleep in the dark again.”

But Xuan Su had one more trick to play on the Emperor from beyond the grave, one that had been years in the making. He wanted to ensure that everything he built wouldn’t be lost upon his death. While he did not have the time to secure his new hold on You Province, Bing Province was a completely other story. He used the imperial bureaucracy to ensure that his son Xuan Mei would be chosen as the new governor. This was due to the structure of government inherited by the Han Dynasty. While the Chancellor was the most senior official and the one handling the affairs of the state, he was not the only man of importance. The Excellency of the Masses kept tabs of the officials, both in Chang’an and in the provinces, and evaluated them frequently. And finally, there was the Grand Tutor. While the position was first established as a moral guide to the Emperor, it eventually gained political power by the second century A.C., notably gaining influence over a series of important secretariats.

And it just happened that the Grand Tutor was none other than the famously greedy Duan Zuo, Mo Jie’s sworn enemy. And Duan Zuo represented a perfect example of one of Emperor Anwu’s greatness weaknesses, one that Xuan Su noticed early in the founding of the dynasty. The Emperor was willing to ignore his subordinates’ flaws and moral failings if they were both competent and useful. This blindness was especially noticeable for long-time followers. After all, how could the mad Hu Zhen have ever become Chancellor without his long relationship to the Son of Heaven? And while Duan Zuo was corrupt to his core, he was also an excellent scholar. During the last years of the Han, he served as Director of the Imperial Academy and proved excellent at it, even if he allowed students that shouldn’t be permitted when the families offered a good enough bribe. No matter Emperor Anwu’s desire to clean the corruption, it would always survive as long as he tolerated Duan Zuo.

With the Chancellors succeeding Pan Zheng proving to be little more than figureheads for an absent Emperor and the Excellency of the Masses Xu Shu far too busy with his work, Duan Zuo’s influence grew rapidly. It helped that he gained a lot of prestige after Mo Jie’s disgracing exit from government. All Xuan Su had to do was get him on board. Duan Zuo was not only given bribes, but presented with a clearly frightening scenario. Really, Xuan Su was the only one holding out against the other officials of the province, who were all supporters of Mo Jie. If anyone else than his son was appointed, then it would mean the return of Mo Jie. In reality, the officials were only sympathetic toward barbarians as long as they proved useful, a policy shared by Xuan Su himself. But it was enough to spook Duan Zuo in working hard for the candidacy of Xuan Mei.

Emperor Anwu was furious when he learned that his court was mostly in agreement with the choice of Xuan Mei. Couldn’t they see that they were being played? But petitions after petitions were sent from Chang’an to try to convince the Emperor. Some officials had indeed been bribed, but this was far from the majority. Some believed the lies of Xuan Su about pro-barbarian officials in the province only being kept at bay by his family. Others argued that appointing a weak Xuan Mei might be the best way to regain control over the region and avoid the rise of another Xuan Su. And some simply asked the Emperor a question: did they have a better option? Xuan Su had clearly prepared the succession of his son for a while. For better or worse, Xuan Mei represented a smooth transition and ensured that the borders did not see any agitation. The only man who could have come in and brush aside Xuan Su’s influence in one swoop was Yang Xiu, and he had died earlier in the year. Faced with all these considerations, Emperor Anwu grudgingly agreed to the petitions. Xuan Mei was confirmed as governor. But this would not be enough for the young man, who dreamed of reuniting the territories controlled by his father. From that point on, his eyes would be fixated on the east, toward You Province.

By that point, the campaign against Cao Xi had been a complete success. The grandson of Cao Cao fled his territories in early December, allowing the Liang Dynasty to annex them. Emperor Anwu then used this occasion to appoint three new governors. The first was Xuan Mei as governor of Bing Province. The other was for a new governor of You Province, an office left vacant by Xuan Su after his death. The position felt on an old local official named Pan Yi who seemed experienced and trustworthy enough. At the very least, he would be able to re-establish some level of imperial control in the region. But Emperor Anwu also announced that he was bringing back Ji Province, this great province that had collapsed into chaos after the fall of Gongsun Zan. As its first governor in almost two decades, the Emperor tapped in Guan Ping. The man had proven loyal as a general, and clearly the right man to guard the now massive border with the Chen Dynasty. With these appointments made, Emperor Anwu finally took the road back to Chang’an, ready to settle things in his court.

_________________________________________________
PS: I want to thank @HistoryDude for the character of Xuan Su (167-223). Arguably the most evil of the ten characters, with his love for his kids his main redeeming quality. He was surprisingly adaptable, with his multiple betrayals and plot almost always working out for him. I think he is the character who served the most people in his career (either him or Pan Zheng), and in many case his played a key role in the downfall of his previous master. I will not lie though. When I started this AAR, he was the one I expected to become Emperor at the end. But instead, he built a regional powerbase for himself, one commandery at a time, which allowed him to survive so many events. And he now he died, with his son Xuan Mei posed to remain an important character now that he controls Bing Province.

 

[Zamarak500]

223: THE CALAMITIES OF EMPEROR CHENG​

In February 223, Emperor Cheng went from having one revolt to dealing with two of them. Already there was the threat of Tan Shenquan, who was trying to form an independent Qing Province once more with the help of Dian Wei and Ma Chao. But a few weeks ago, the Emperor seemed on his way to gain the advantage over the rebels. Except that the generals who had just inflicted a defeat upon Tan Shenquan joined the banner of Yi Shing, a deluded young official who thought that he could force a compromise by defeating the Emperor and enforce a peace. Sick of Emperor Cheng refusal to negotiate an end to the war, the generals who had just won him a key victory defected with some of their troops. This included the likes of Hu Zan, Ba Daiping and Liu Derun, skilled commanders that were necessary to ensure a quick victory to the conflict.

This new rebellion created quite the uproar in the Imperial Capital. Emperor Cheng was furious when he learned of this betrayal, especially as news of the recent victory had just reached Chenguo. To his credit, the Emperor realized that this whole affair was the result of a mistake that could have been easily avoided. Sadly, the Emperor was too proud to admit that he had been the one to make it. Instead, he remembered the way his Crown Prince had allowed Yi Shing to gain access to his person for an audience. He wisely presented the image of a united Imperial Clan in front of his court to show everyone that the Xiao Clan knew what it was doing. But in private he chastised Xiao Tung for fueling the hopes of Yi Shing and helping him in his quest to negotiate with the rebels. Had the Crown Prince refused Yi Shing outright or warned the Emperor of his plans, then none of this would have been possible. Xiao Tung meekly tried to suggest that negotiations might still be an option, but once again the Emperor shut down the idea.

Instead, Emperor Cheng decided that this was a good opportunity to once again reshuffle some of his highest-ranking officials. This time, it fell on the Excellency of Works, Luo An. The man had replaced Yang Qub only 16 months ago, with many agreeing that he was doing an admirable job. He also lacked any political talent and was quite weak willed, allowing the Emperor to act his policies through the official. So why was he being removed? It was because Emperor Cheng’s view of these offices as rewards for his followers. As the number of followers grew, he came to the realization that there was only so much offices he could give. As such, he removed officials to replace them with new ones more often, thus granting more individuals a promotion in a short succession. For example, there had been five men holding the office of Minister Coachman since the founding of the Dynasty. And now there would be a third Excellency of Works. The duties of the office fell on a recently appointed official named Bei Mea, who everyone agreed was not up for the job.

Meanwhile, the Chen army was in a dire situation. With most of the generals having abandoned their post to side with Yi Shing, only one man remained in the camps to lead them: Liu Xian. Having seen how civil war had doom his previous lieges in Xu Province, the scion of the Han had refused to even entertain the idea of helping the destabilization of the Chen Dynasty. He now found himself with the difficult task of handling the army until the Imperial Capital could send new officers, either to replace him or to assist him. Hopefully the later, as this might proved to be his shot at entering the Emperor’s inner circle.

He immediately used his new command of the Imperial troops to order an assault on the traitors, hoping that their betrayal would have left them too disorganized to immediately enter battle. He was right in this, as Yi Shing and his followers had yet to properly prepare their military leadership, with Hu Zan already weighting in to be the overall commander of their war effort. This led to a battle close to the town of Gaoping, which saw the confused traitors be attacked by the angry Chen soldiers under Liu Xian’s command. In this mess appeared Tan Shenquan, who was extremely confused at the current situation. Deciding to try and use this opportunity to avenge his previous defeat, the rebel leader ordered his small army to jump in the fray. This led to the upmost chaos, from which the Chen Imperial Army somehow came out on top.

Following this battle, Tan Shenquan chose to investigate why his enemies were suddenly fighting. But before he could learn what was happening a messenger arrived from Yi Shing’s camp offering to talk. With Ba Daiping serving as mediator (since he previously served under Tan Shenquan), Yi Shing and Tan Shenquan eventually met face to face. After hours of discussion, they agreed that they should cooperate against Emperor Cheng instead of fighting each other. Yi Shing walked out of the meeting convinced that the rebel leader was now under his command and that they had become one big revolt for compromise. Tan Shenquan simply wondered what kind of lunatic he just talked to.

Liu Xian’s hopes of being appointed as the leader of the Chen troops were dashed with the arrival of Grand Commandant Chen Tiao in late March. With so many of his generals having betrayed him, Emperor Cheng decided to send his most loyal officer to command this campaign and crush the rebels once and for all. But Chen Tiao was not alone. By his side was the Crown Prince himself, in full military armor and ready to take commands. He had always wanted a military career, but he had not been allowed a command since the war against Qing Province. Emperor Cheng knew of his son’s military ambitions, so he ordered him to go make up for his mistake by helping defeat the rebellion. Also present to support the Grand Commandant was Prince Cang, even if he protested this role. He would have much preferred to stay behind and handle the supply from safety. He also wanted to spend time with his wife, who had just given birth to his son Xiao Huo four months ago. But Emperor Cheng insisted that his younger son go, much to Xiao Cang’s resentment.

By May, both rebellions had been reinforced, although that of Yi Shing was clearly the stronger one. Chen Tiao decided that their best hope was to crush Tan Shenquan. Once he was defeated, the compromise would have no reason to be and peace could return to the Chen. This plan was supported by both Xiao Tung and Liu Xian. Only Xiao Cang laughed at this, pointing out that their father might not be willing to abandon this affair so easily. After the meeting, Xiao Cang even confessed to his older brother that the main problem was their father. While Xiao Tung agreed that their father was too arrogant to admit wrong, he didn’t see what they could do about it. After all, he was the Emperor.

Chen Tiao led an assault against Tan Shenquan’s position in late May, hoping to capture the rebel leader. However, this would prove to be nothing but a ruse, a trap laid down by Hu Zan for his former allies. While Tan Shenquan was indeed present, he was mostly here to assist the far larger traitor army of Yi Shing. The battle saw the Chen army completely outnumbered, with their enemies having almost ten thousand more soldiers at their disposal. Liu Xian and Chen Tiao led a desperate defense against their enemies. They did so in order for the Crown Prince to lead the retreat toward safety. At first, Xiao Tung protested, saying “How can I look my imperial father in the eyes after fleeing like this?”, to which Liu Xian answered “How can his Highness look the Emperor in the eyes if he is dead?” Xiao Tung finally agreed to lead the retreat. To his relief, both Liu Xian and Chen Tiao made it out alive, though half of their troops were killed in the fighting.

Tan Shenquan noticed the escape of the Crown Prince and wanted to attack him, but Hu Zan stopped him. He did not want to harm the Imperial Clan, just force the Emperor to make the right decisions. He even went as far as ordering his men to avoid arming the Crown Prince. This droved a wedge between the two rebel groups, even if they had won the day. Tan Shenquan started to realize that his goals might not be well served by people who were, at the end of the day, still loyal to the Chen Dynasty.

Sadly, for the Chen army, some of their supply had been seized in the retreat, mostly because Xiao Cang chose to flee instead of watching over it. Because of this, it seemed that they would need to tighten their belt and limit the rations. At least that’s what was told to the demoralized soldiers. Emperor Cheng had been made aware of the problems and was in the process of buying new supply (even if this caused financial problems), but for now the food became rarer. Unwilling to let his men suffer while he ate banquets, Xiao Tung went on a diet until the new supply arrived, even going as far as eating the rations of a common soldiers. When news of this spread through the camp, it left the soldiers with a newfound devotion to the Crown Prince. Never had they felt so much respect for the Emperor or the dynasty. But Xiao Tung? He was proving to be the sort of man that they would follow off a cliff if he ordered them to.

The new supply eventually arrived, along with new recruits to reinforce the badly weakened Chen army. And this was just in time too, as Tan Shenquan had chosen to disobey Hu Zan’s orders and chase after the Imperial Army. This had proven a long chase, with the two armies only facing against each other in late September. Tan Shenquan wanted to achieve his own victory against the Chen army, one that would finally allow him to gain some advantage on Emperor Cheng and force him to recognize the independence of his Qing Province. But if this was the goal, then it failed miserably. With Dian Wei and Ma Chao by his side, he underestimated the skills of the Chen remaining generals. Liu Xian and Chen Tiao proved extremely competent in their defense against the rebels, and Crown Prince Tung certainly took many by surprise with his excellent command. The rebels were once again defeated and pushed back. While Tan Shenquan grumbled, the Chen soldiers cheered, having finally achieved a victory to boost their floundering morale.

By now, Xiao Cang had come to two conclusions. The first was that he really wanted to be as far away from battle as possible. Considering his recent conduct on the battlefield, this was to be expected. But he also came to the conclusion that his father needed to be removed from his throne in order to solve the current crisis. No Emperor Cheng, no civil war. Or at least it would leave them with only Tan Shenquan to deal with, and a Tan Shenquan with diminished support at that. But just like Emperor Cheng, Xiao Cang was a sticker for the rules, meaning that he was never going to sponsor some sort of coup against his father. Instead, he came up with the idea of an edict of abdication, presented by the court with the general support of the ministers. Surely the Emperor would have no choice to but to accept to surrender the throne if this happened.

He started to talk about this idea with some individuals within the army. Most notably, he approached his older brother the Crown Prince, knowing that he would be essential to this plan. If Xiao Tung could support the edict, then their father would find himself in a dire situation and might take the graceful exit offered to him. Xiao Tung, trustful as always, was convinced that his brother had the future of the dynasty in mind when he suggested this. He agreed to this offer and left for his tent. But Xiao Tung lacked the political skills of his younger brothers, in part due to his kind nature. Missing the point that this had to be kept a secret until the edict was presented at court, he wrote a letter to his father to try to convince him to accept the abdication edict when it was presented. When he received this letter, Emperor Cheng’s reaction was one of confusion, with him mumbling “W-What abdication ed-edict?”

This letter game the Emperor a heads up that something was coming his way, giving him time to prepare. He immediately sent investigators to find out what this abdication edict was all about. This investigation was quite thorough, and they eventually made their way to Xiao Cang and his little plan. Spooked, the prince tried to run into the night, but was arrested by guards of the camp who though him an escaped prisoner of war. Xiao Cang was then dragged to Chenguo on imperial orders, where he was judged in front of the court in December. Because he had only prepared an edict and did not actively foment a coup or an armed revolt, the Emperor decided not to execute his son for treason. But that was the only clemency granted to Xiao Cang. The prince was demoted to a commoner, with his titles and possessions stripped from him. He was then thrown out of Chenguo. Xiao Cang would never see the Imperial Capital again, with this proving to be the last meeting between father and son. He was left penniless, with a wife and a one-year-old son to take care of.

The first few years of his new life proved difficult for the prince, though he did his best to adapt. The family moved toward the coast, where he did some menial work here and there. At one point of their journey, Xiao Cang was force to beg for food in order to feed his family. The situation was made even worse by the fact that his wife discovered she was pregnant soon after their expulsion, giving birth to a daughter named Xiao Taisi in July 224. Thankfully for Xiao Cang, his wife was herself of commoner origins (if from wealthy ones), so she had more experience in that domain than her husband. Lady Cai was able to assist her husband in this difficult transition in their life.

By his mid-20’s, Xiao Cang’s situation improved a lot. Lady Cai’s son from her first marriage, Lü Botong, invited his mother and her family to come live in the county he was administrating. There they were given a decent house which was secretly paid by the magistrate. During this period, Xiao Cang began to dream of returning to prominence, his personal ambitions still alive even in his current state. He decided to have a go at it by becoming a merchant. Sadly, his ventures all proved failures. Local merchants refused to make deals with the disgraced prince and local officials hindered his business as much as possible. These failures to achieve his full potential were driving him insane.

Literally, as by his 30’s Xiao Cang was suffering from heavy mental problems that made the former prince difficult to deal with. This made his family ever more reliant on the money send by Lü Botong, which was a problem as he died unexpectedly in 236. The following two years proved once again extremely difficult for the family. Then in 238, Xiao Cang caught the flu and died from it at the age of 36. He was followed in the grave by his wife a year later, leaving his children orphans nd without an income. Xiao Huo, who was 17 at the time, was forced to give his sister as a concubine to a local official in order to secure a decent living for them, much to her disdain. And so ended the life of Xiao Cang, the youngest son of Emperor Cheng.

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PS: Well, we reached the second anniversary of this AAR! Once again, I’d like to thank everyone for either giving me the characters of this story, commenting on it or simply ready this AAR so far. We did make a lot more progress this time, as last year we were in 200 killing off Niu Fu (still sad about that one). It helped that we have less POVs to follow.

 

[Zamarak500]

224: A YEAR IN CHANG'AN​

After appointing three new governors and conquering new territories, Emperor Anwu felt that it was about time for him to return to his Imperial Capital. It had been two years since he left to go fight Cao Cao. During this time, so many things had changed, so many people had disappeared. He needed to return home and regain a firmer grip on the affairs of government. Of course, the people were happy to gaze upon the Emperor who entered the city in armor, riding to his palace on horseback. It felt good too. Emperor Anwu had feared that after his defeat at the hand of Cao Cao the people might start to question his rule. But he was underestimating the work he had done to legitimize his power. It seemed that the people were simply happy to see their rightful emperor. With a smile, Emperor Anwu made his way to his palace.

A few days later, the Emperor finally oversaw a session of the court for the first time since he left for his campaigns. He sat in his throne, with the courtiers prostrating themselves in front of him. After enjoying the sight, Emperor Anwu ordered the Chancellor to bring forward the more pressing affairs of the day. The old Zhou Pu was taken aback and immediately bumbled his way forward to explain the various affairs that had been pilling up in his absence. After hearing them, Emperor Anwu asked “These are but trivial affairs that can be handed out to the virtuous men. Are there no pressing affairs that require my direct attention?” The Chancellor then meekly smiled and answered “I beg his Imperial Majesty forgiveness for my mistake. But the realm is at peace and the people are happy.” But Emperor Anwu was not satisfied with this answer, immediately turning to the court and asking them if there was anything that they wanted to bring up to him.

While most meekly agreed with Zhou Pu’s statement, the Excellency of Works Huo Du moved forward and presented a petition to the throne. He believed that the prestige of the dynasty should be shown even in death, and so he suggested that it would be wise to start preparing for the imperial tomb of the Son of Heaven. Emperor Anwu wasn’t exactly keen to be reminded of his eventual death, but he had to admit that it was a wise idea. With the empire doing quite well financially at the moment, it might have been time to consider these kinds of expensive monuments. He added to Huo Du the charge of Chief Architect, ordering him to start preparing plans for a tomb, but not to go further. The Emperor also took the occasion to ask him to work on the repair and maintenance of some of the palaces, which he found lacking by his standards. Huo Du grunted at this unwelcomed workload, convinced that the Emperor was setting him up for failure. But he still smiled and thanked the Emperor for this honorable task.

In the following month, the Emperor worked toward selecting a new Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty. Zhou Pu was always supposed to be a temporary replacement for the late Hu Zhen, who himself was only appointed after the untimely death of Pan Zheng. Zhou Pu was of coursed thanked for his service, though he was encouraged to accept a lesser post in the Imperial Capital. While saddened, the Chancellor took his cue and offered his resignation from the office, citing his old age as an excuse. He was then given the post of Minister of the Guard, putting him in charge of Chang’an’s guard regiments and the security of the city. While he did an admirable work in this duty, he eventually died from depression due to this demotion in 226, at the age of 70.

Emperor Anwu, after much recommendation, eventually picked the Intendant of Jingzhao Commandery (the man in charge of the lands close to Chang’an), Jin Xuan the younger. The choice was a shock to anyone who knew the Emperor from his days before inheriting Liang Province (a group that had grown dangerously small for the Emperor’s tastes). That was because the new Chancellor’s father, Jin Xuan the elder, had been something of a thorn in the Emperor’s side at the time. If Hu Zhen had always been a loyal supporter of the Emperor, then Jin Xuan had been stupidly loyal to Guo Si and his family, even arguing that the yet unborn child of Guo Si should succeed him instead of Yao Shuren. Because of this, the Emperor had him secretly assassinated in 196, though he left his family alive. And now the son of this annoying man was being appointed as the Chancellor of the Liang. A surprising development for the old guard, that was for sure.

Emperor Anwu spent the following months seizing back control over the various departments and secretariats of his imperial dynasty. The way Xuan Su had been able to promote his son to be his successor in Bing Province had made the Emperor aware that the imperial bureaucracy was in need of serious oversight. This included, among other things, reining in the greed of his Grand Tutor Duan Zuo. The man had been useful over the years, far too much to dispose of him for his sole avarice. But he needed to be reminded that these things could not be tolerated. In one session of the court, he had the Chancellor read a public remonstrance of the Grand Tutor’s conduct. This led others to come forward and beg the Emperor to curb Duan Zuo’s corrupt ways. Some were former friends of Mo Jie, others personal enemies of the Grand Tutor, and a few just tried to suck up to the Emperor. While he was not removed from his post, the old Duan Zuo was given a few lashes and had his salary cut by a third (a move that would only motivate him to become more corrupt). With this, the Emperor started to firmly reclaim his authority over the affairs of the Dynasty.

In May, Emperor Anwu was told of a shocking development. His newly appointed governor of Ji Province Guan Ping had died only five months in office. Now he needed a replacement, and fast. Ji Province was a critical province that bordered the Chen Dynasty and the majority of the remaining warlords. And some of the local officials might be stupid enough to return their allegiance to the Cao Clan without an imperial governor in the region. In order to solve this last problem, Emperor Anwu selected the young Cao Lian as the new Governor of Ji Province. Cao Lian was the younger brother of Cao Xi, and thus the grandson of both Cao Cao and Lü Bu. He had defected to the Liang Dynasty during the war last year, and now he was gaining the advantages of siding with the winners. The other Cao clansman available was Cao Fang, who had submitted to the Liang all the way in 222. But he was found wanting when it came to choosing a competent man, so Cao Lian it was.

But the affairs of the states weren’t the only things that were on the Emperor’s mind. He also had to take into consideration his heir Yao Yuan, who was 18 years old at the time. In his absence, the Crown Prince had proven popular at court and studious enough, though he seemed to care little about the ancient beliefs of Confucius. He had also produced a child during his father’s absence with his concubine Wang Wenjun (a member of the infamous Wang Clan of the late 190’s early 200’s, being the niece of Wang Chen). But the child, born in July 222, turned out to be a girl, named Yao Yian.

On one occasion, Emperor Anwu asked his son what he had done in his absence. The Crown Prince first fell silent, clearly thoughtful about what he would say. When the Emperor insisted once more, Yao Yuan was spooked by the order and immediately started to babble multiple things he had achieved in the last two years. However, Emperor Anwu quickly caught that these achievements were vague, meaningless and never had a concrete sense. Things like “expanding the virtues within the Crown Prince’s palace” or “ensuring that loyalty to the dynasty remained righteous.” All things that Confucian scholars loved to hear about their Crown Prince, but only senseless nonsense to the ears of the Emperor. When the Emperor asked “and this mean?” to some of these “achievements, the Crown Prince backed off and asked forgiveness to his father for failing him as a son. Not wanting to humiliate his heir in front of the court, the Emperor simply told him that he was doing right by him and that he was proud of his son.

The Emperor certainly discussed his worries with his wife. Empress Liang was not the kind to mince her words, though she was not sharp enough to be hurtful to others when she spoke. After a few discussions, the Empress suggested that their son simply needed some experience within the imperial government. Surely some hard work would help build the young man into a great prince. Yao Shuren loved the idea, but didn’t want to give him a role too important for him to mess up. So he made the young heir Minister of the Imperial Clan. This Minister, who under the Han had always been a scion of the Imperial Clan, had to keep track of the imperial lineage, of who was part of the family and what titles they held (including their yearly stipends from the state). Considering that the Yao Imperial Clan only started with the Emperor’s father Yao Huan, this should be an easy enough task for Yao Yuan, right?

This appointment actually brought Yao Xiu to the attention of the Emperor. It seemed that the first prince was actually doing an admirable job as Magistrate of Kuiaiji, with officials from Yang Province sending praises about Yao Xiu’s work. This certainly made the Emperor question if he had not been too harsh toward Yao Xiu. Even with the great animosity between them, it was becoming clear that Yao Xiu might have been more suited for the throne (much to the Emperor’s frustration). One day, he privately asked the Grand Tutor which prince would make the better emperor. While he had no position on Yao Yuan one way or the other, he did not support Yao Xiu’s succession. After all, Yao Xiu was married to Mo Xiaowen, Mo Jie’s daughter. And there was no way he would allow Mo Jie’s return. Duan Zuo was quick to say “The first prince might be competent, but he is wicked in spirit. The second prince radiate peace and thus has the respect of the court. He is the best choice to inherit the Mandate of Heaven.”

Xu Shu, the Excellency of the Masses, also agreed that the Emperor shouldn’t worry about the succession. When consulted, he reminded Emperor Anwu that his son would likely have great officials to assist him in his reign. At the end of the day, what mattered the most for a great emperor: to be competent, or to be surrounded by competence? Xu Shu thus insisted that loyal men of the Liang Dynasty would be there to help the Emperor, and he would surely prove wise enough to listen. But the idea of having his old and powerful subordinate lead the government for his son only made the Emperor worried. On one night he spent with the Empress, he admitted to her “I made them rise to my greatness so that they could stand by my side, yet I might now leave my son towered by giants.”

Of course, there were other issues to deal with than his doubts about succession. For example, overseeing the monetary policy of the realm. In his absence, the Liang Dynasty had finally started to mint its own coins, though they had the exact same values as those of the Han (why fix what isn’t broken?). The Emperor made sure that inspectors surveyed the creation of the new coinage to ensure its quality. Not only that, but the Emperor made sure to enforce a monopoly on these mints, as had done the Han before him. He also started to enforce more strongly the monopoly on salt and iron that the government held. Yes, these measures might not be popular with the merchant class or the populace, but it would allow the state to finance its war and the various spendings of the state. For example, a new agrarian program sponsored by the minister of the agriculture to help rebuild the field after decades of war. All those policies would, at least on the short run, prove successful, showing once again the administrative talents of the Son of Heaven.

By the end of 224, merchants and refugees brought troubling news from the west. The Kingdom of Anxi was in the middle of a civil war, with the most recent news seemingly indicating that the King of Anxi had been defeated and that the “House of Sashan” now ruled the region. This led to worries within the Liang court. Anxi had been a major trading partner of the Han Dynasty for the last four centuries. To hear that such a great empire was collapsing made many worried. Xu Chu, the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army, came forward and suggested that they launch a campaign against the Sashan.

But this idea was nonsensical, and Emperor Anwu quickly shut it down. Of course, the idea of attacking the Sashan would be a great boon to his reputation. Restoring the Anxi line on the throne or maybe even annexing the region would make the Liang Dynasty the greatest dynasty in history. If they annexed the region, they would finally share a border with the distant empire of Daqin. But this was unrealistic. Such a campaign would require to send tens of thousands of troops beyond the further reaches of the dynasty, to a land that they barely knew, for an expedition that would take years just to get there. The logistic of the whole affair would be a nightmare in itself. And meanwhile, the Chen would have a golden opportunity to attack. And that did not even take into account Budugen the Great, who might seek to take advantage of a weakened Liang.

Emperor Anwu instead tried to calm his court by pointing that the Kingdom of Anxi was just following the history flow of the Han. Both had appeared around the same time, and both now disappeared together. Just as the Liang had replaced the Han, the Kingdom of Anxi would be replaced by the House of Sashan. They should revel in their new trade partners, not fear for a dying state. But Emperor Anwu was not as convinced in private. He feared that the Sashan, ruled by a man named Aer Daxier or something similar, might become a threat to Liang trade on the Silk Road. The situation was critical enough that the Emperor dispatched an embassy with gifts to go sound out the Sashan ruler and ensure good relationships between their two states.

While the Emperor had refused to go on campaign west, it didn’t mean that he did not consider going back to war. With the Liang Dynasty at peace and the court running just as he wanted it, his mind once against started to drift toward conquest. It certainly helped that Xu Chu kept pestering him about going back to war, seeking new battles to win and new enemies to crush. And there were still warlords to conquer before the final showdown with the Chen Dynasty. With his dynastic rival weakened by civil war, the Emperor started to plan for a new campaign for the start of 225. The only question was: who to attack?
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PS: So, a lot of context for what was just talked about in this chapter. There were a lot of mentions of western kingdoms that I needed to clarify. The whole event is about a real-life change of regime in Persia, which served as the trade point between Rome (Daqin, or Great Qin, as the Chinese called it) and China.

The Kingdom of Anxi is the Parthian Empire, which ruled the region of Iran between 247 B.C. and 224 A.C., a period that include the entirety of Western and Eastern Han. Parthia’s served as the road between the Roman Empire and the Han, and famously they might have dissuaded a Chinese envoy to continue his way to Rome in order to ensure that the two empires had to pass through them to do trade, thus keeping their monopoly on the Silk Road.

Meanwhile, the House of Sashan is the Sassanid Dynasty, which formed the Sassanid Empire in 224 (though the Liang court is not aware that it’s a done deal yet, just that it seems to likely end with the death of Parthia). Aer Daxier (Ā'ěr dá xī ěr) is Ardashir I, the founder of the Sassanid Empire. Historically, he revolted against the Parthian Arsacid Dynasty (which is where the Anxi comes from), who were not Persians, and thus became the first Persian King of Kings since the conquest of the Archemenid Dynasty by Alexander the Great.

In term of impact on China, the Sassanid Empire would prove business as usual, so Emperor Liang’s worries are unfounded. The only empire that should be worried is Rome, as they went from fighting a weak and dying Parthia to a strong and reinvigorated Sassanid. The Sassanids are actually going to kick Rome’s but for the rest of the centuries, with some setbacks here and there as Rome regains its footing.

So when Xu Chu suggest going on a campaign against the Sashan, he is suggesting that they walk a large part of the Liang army either through the mountains of Tibet or the plains of Central Asia and go all the way to Iran to conquer it. Considering the transportation speed of the time and the supply line this would need, it is not wonder the Emperor refused this idea as ludicrous.

 

[Zamarak500]

224: WHAT IS COMPROMISE?​

Emperor Cheng was not exactly in what you would call a good position. He had two rebellions on his hands that worked to undermine his authority at best or remove a province from his empire at worse. And now they might be cooperating against his weakened Imperial Army. The massive battle that took place at Maoxiang was certainly a proof of this. Damn Hu Zan! Why couldn’t he be this useful when he was working for the dynasty? And if this wasn’t enough, his own son Xiao Cang had attempted to force him to abdicate his rightful throne. He had created the Chen Dynasty! How dare this ungrateful brat even propose such a thing. Emperor Cheng had never particularly liked the boy, and now he was proven right in his ill feelings toward him. While he didn’t plan an armed revolt or anything of the sort, Xiao Cang still had to be punished. The youngest of his sons was thus demoted to commoner and exiled from Chenguo, never to return.

But that wasn’t the only change he was going to make at court. While this whole abdication plan had been Xiao Cang’s sole idea, it didn’t mean that others hadn’t been aware of it. Notably, Crown Prince Tung knew about this whole plot, having accidentally tipped of his father to what was coming. This had given Emperor Cheng some time to prepare and get the upper hand on his wayward son. But that didn’t mean that Xiao Tung hadn’t been sympathetic to the idea of removing his father. Yet after these events, all the Crown Prince could think about was the guilt over his role in his brother’s exile. The Emperor still felt that his son might be getting too ambitious, and so sought to remove one supporter of his son from office.

And one big supporter of the Crown Prince was the Chancellor Ding Gongsi, who only had the job due to his father’s loyalty to the Xiao Clan. But Ding Yan had been a supporter of Xiao Tung, and something of an early mentor to the Crown Prince. Ding Gongsi had always been willing to talk in favor of Xiao Tung, to the point that Emperor Cheng was finding him too loyal to the next generation and not enough to the one sitting on the throne. And this dubious loyalty aside, Ding Gongsi wasn’t really good in his duties. He would honestly be better used on the battlefield. So in January 224, the Emperor removed Ding Gongsi and replaced him with Wei Weihuang, who had been serving as Minister of Ceremonies up until that point. He seemed to be a far more proper man for the office, with his oratory talents easily surpassing those of Ding Gongsi. The former Chancellor was quite frustrated at the removal, but it didn’t deter him from keeping good relations with the Imperial Clan, and the Crown Prince in particular, something that would pay off in the end.

But this did nothing to solve the crisis in which the Chen Dynasty found itself. There was a growing sense among the loyalists that this war had to be ended soon for the Chen to survive, or it might fracture under the weight of these powerful rebellions. This was even more of a pressing issue as Emperor Anwu of the Liang Dynasty had just finished his conquest of Cao Xi’s territories and was now free to attack the weakened Chen. While it seemed that he was instead making his way back to Chang’an, how long until he chose to deal with its dynastic rival? Emperor Cheng wanted this war done with before this worst-case scenario could happen.

But the Emperor first ordered his Grand Commandant to come lead the Imperial Army against the enemies closest to the Imperial Capital. This turned out to be Yan Hansheng, the brother of the Ying Mo who had tried to conquer Qing Province a few years back. Because of his relationship with his brother, he had been kicked out of the Emperor’s inner circle, and now he wanted back in. He was convinced by Yi Shing that this revolt would not only save the dynasty, but that they would be rewarded for their efforts and loyalty to the Chen. But as the magistrate of Xipingchen, he was the only rebel within striking distance of the Imperial Capital. Now that it seemed that Yi Shing’s revolt might win, the Emperor became worried about this enemy base right next to Chenguo.

Chen Tiao was ordered to march back toward Chenguo and attack Xipingcheng, as the Emperor was worried of this enemy base so close to his capital. The Grand Commandant was not convinced that this was the best way to win this war. They should focus on the war against Tan Shenquan, just as the Emperor had previously ordered. But the threat of close enemies was too great in the eyes of Emperor Cheng, who forced the issue. Loyal as always, Chen Tiao turned his army around and made his way toward Xipingcheng to obey his master’s orders. Still, he was starting to question if the Emperor was the best man to run this war. He certainly caused it, but the question was if he could end it.

On its way there, the Chen army received another order: that the Crown Prince return to the Imperial Capital to lead the defense of the city should it be attacked. This took Xiao Tung by surprise, as he wanted to stay on the frontline to make his proofs. But the Emperor also knew this, and he was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. With the way the Crown Prince had been aware of the abdication edict, Emperor Cheng was starting to be suspicious of his son’s intentions. Officially, he declared that he wanted his son to supervise the defense of the capital and be by his father’s side. Truthfully, Emperor Cheng wanted to keep a closer eye on his son from this point on to make sure that he didn’t try to replace him before his was time.

So Chen Tiao and Liu Xian were the only one to lead the troops to Xipingcheng and besiege the city. The siege would take two long months, during which the two Chen general mostly sat and waited for their enemy to surrender. Toward the end of this period, Yan Hansheng sent messengers to try to reason with the generals. All he was trying to do was to end this war by helping Yi Shing. Surely, they weren’t enemies and could find a common compromise. But Liu Xian rebutted these arguments by pointing out that wishing for an argument had led to the current situation, with a massive revolt against the Chen Dynasty now helping the traitors against the Emperor. These talks led to nothing, but Yan Hansheng used this situation to flee and escape Xipingcheng. When they realized that the magistrate had fled into the night, the garrison quickly surrendered to the Imperial Army.

But now the Emperor wanted the generals to make their way north to attack Tan Shenquan and end the revolt. As it turned out, the former Governor of Qing Province had been having a bad year so far. Dian Wei and Ma Chao had actually managed to get into an accidental fight with Hu Zan, who used his superior numbers to teach his former comrades a lesson. In an attempt to salvage the situation, Tan Shenquan summoned his remaining forces to besiege a Chen city on the coast. But this siege was full of problems and quickly turned into a debacle. Disease spread through the camps, and a successful assault by the garrison on the besiegers’ camp damaged their morale. Tan Shenquan’s situation was disastrous by the end of the summer, made even worse by the movement of the Chen army toward his position.

In September, envoys arrived to Chenguo with a surprising proposal. The regents of Yuan Rei in Bohai Commandery were now on the verge of losing their civil war against Yuan Shang. Seeing no other way to safeguard their position (and that of their ward), they sent messengers to Emperor Cheng, asking him if his offer for Yuan Rei to submit to the Chen Dynasty was still open. The Emperor was delighted and quickly agreed to the peaceful annexation of Bohai Commandery, swearing to recognize Yuan Rei as its rightful Chen appointed administrator in exchange for their submission. The regents weren’t exactly keen on this, but they had no other option left. With this Bohai Commandery was formally annexed in the Chen Dynasty, one further step toward the unification of China under the Xiao Clan.

With this annexation came new troops to reinforce the position of the Chen Army. Chen Tiao and Liu Xian were quick to put these troops to good use as they marched in haste toward the rebel army. The battle took place next to the city of Bian in December, with Dian Wei and Ma Chao present to assist Tan Shenquan. It was within the rebel territories, allowing him to set up a trap for the Chen generals. But what he didn’t expect were the reinforcements coming from Bohai Commandery, which guaranteed that the Chen army would be victorious. And this was exactly what happened.

The battle quickly turned into a rout for the rebels as Ma Chao was lured into a trap by Chen Tiao. The Grand Commandant was not only able to isolate the general, but capture him in the middle of battle. Following this, the rebel army disintegrated, with Tan Shenquan and Dian Wei fleeing to take refuge in Bian. The Chen army followed and put the city under siege, now having the rebel leaders trapped. They simply needed to wait for the city to starve and surrender. Thankfully, they did not need to wait that long, as within a week the people of Bian decided to abandon the cause of the rebels. Tan Shenquan, Dian Wei and Ma Chao were handed to the Chen army, ending almost three years of civil war.

Expectingly, Emperor Cheng was not kind toward the traitors. He ordered them to receive the greatest punishment in the former Han Dynasty: Clan extermination. The families of Dian Wei and Ma Chao were, thankfully, able to flee over the border. While the two generals were executed, their relatives were able to escape to the Liang Dynasty. To replace those two traitors, Emperor Cheng appointed his fourth son Xiao Dang as the new administrator of Lu Commandery. He had been forced out of his previous post when Ma Chao rebelled and had been hanging in the Capital since the start of the civil war. As for Dian Wei’s Shanyang Commandery, it was given to the hated Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo, who had proven loyal to the Emperor since his rise at court.

Tan Shenquan’s family was not as lucky. They were captured and killed to the last. While the Tan Clan survived due to distant relatives living in the Liang Dynasty, any relatives of the former governor within Qing Province was found and killed for his treason. The only exception was Ding Zhiguo, Tan Shenquan’s uncle. Since he had been captured while fighting for the Chen and because he was only related to the Tan Clan through his mother (Tan Shenquan’s grandmother), he was not only spared but celebrated as a Chen hero upon his release by the victorious Imperial Army. With this, the Tan Clan’s influence in Qing Province came to a brutal end after thirty years of dominance.

The death of Tan Shenquan and the extermination of his supporters put Yi Shing’s faction in a weird spot. The man they wanted to put as Governor of Qing Province was dead. His whole family had been exterminated. So what now? But when those concerns were brought to Yi Shing, he simply laughed victoriously. Of course, Tan Shenquan had lost! This was the plan, after all! To put then in a position of strength to attain powerful positions within the Chen Dynasty after the civil war! Most of his followers were confused on when this had become the plan, to which Yi Shing simply laughed at his own success and left, his followers utterly confused.

Thankfully for them, Emperor Cheng was determined to end the war with the death of Tan Shenquan, no matter the cost. And with his internal rival now removed, Emperor Cheng decided to play the card of compromise. He issued a general pardon for Yi Shing and his supporters, welcoming them back as loyal subjects of the Dynasty who had only done what they thought best for the Chen. Unsurprisingly, these overtures were met with skepticism on both sides. But to show that he was being honest, the Emperor reshuffled his inner circle once more, welcoming some of the rebels by his side as a proof that they were being pardoned.

Yi Shing was obviously promoted, as he had been the leader of the whole uprising, making his support necessary to ensure a peace. The weird and insane young man was made an Imperial Councillor at court, giving him access to the Emperor and allowing him to advise the Son of Heaven. This was an important office at court which gave him great access to Emperor Cheng. Another supporter of compromise named Xu Tai was promoted even further in an effort to drive a wedge between the former allies. Xu Tai was made the new administrator of Beihai Commandery (Tan Shenquan’s commandery). Not only that, but he became the new Chancellor of the Chen Dynasty, replacing Wei Weihuang less than a year after his appointment

More surprising was the appointment of Hu Zan as the new Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies. This was shocking because Chen Tiao had been occupying the position since the founding of the Dynasty, and before that had served as Commandant of Chen Province since 216. In Emperor Cheng’s ever shifting court, the old general had been a fixture of the political scene. And even more importantly, he had been the most loyal man in the Chen Dynasty. This actually led to a small uproar at court, with even the Crown Prince, who was a close friend of Hu Zan, criticizing the decision. But Emperor Cheng knew that Hu Zan wanted to be Grand Commandant, and so gave the office to him. As a consolation price, Chen Tiao was made Marquis of Jiyin, the first marquis in the Chen Dynasty.

And with these appointments, the revolt of Yi Shing ended and peace returned to the Chen Dynasty. Surprisingly, it had come out of this civil war stronger, thanks to the annexation of Bohai Commandery. The officials, generals and courtiers had now joined hand in their devoted services to the Chen Dynasty, with the crime of factionalism having disappeared from the court.

This beautiful peace lasted around 3 weeks.

 

[Zamarak500]

225: EMPEROR ANWU VS ZHAO YUN​

Emperor Anwu had brought strengthen control of his court, ensuring that the Son of Heaven stood above his subjects and led the affairs of the state. But now that things were peaceful at home, he could no longer deny his desire to unify China under his rule. With Xu Chu pushing him to launch a campaign and the military now back to reasonable strength after the debacle against Cao Cao, the Emperor had no reason to put off his expansion plans. Yes, it was time to look outward and continue walking the path of unification. Emperor Anwu was quick to summon his court and announce that a new imperial campaign would soon be launched, much to the cheers of the generals (and Xu Chu in particular). The only question was where the Liang Dynasty would expand next.

The Chen Dynasty might have previously looked like a good option considering their weakened situation. Emperor Cheng had been embroiled in a civil war that might have been exploitable had the Liang Dynasty been willing to, even if it was only to support the rebel Tan Shenquan. But the situation in the Liang had made it impossible to exploit the weakness of its dynastic rival. Emperor Anwu had been occupied with his war against Cao Cao and then Cao Xi, stopping him from attacking the Chen Dynasty. He could have done it at the end of 223 or throughout 224, but the Emperor felt that it was better to reorganize things at his court to regain control over the affairs of the state. By the time this had been done, the Chen Dynasty had been reunified and the civil war won by Emperor Cheng, with Tan Shenquan executed. The prospect of facing a unified Chen Dynasty was a risking one, and after Cao Cao the Emperor was not keen on launching such a risky venture.

Instead, Emperor Anwu turned his sight toward Anping Commandery, which was still ruled by the warlord Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun was one of the greatest generals of his time, but his fortune had been mostly mixed over the decades. One of the best subordinates of the warlord Gongsun Zan, he was eventually convinced to join the revolt that destroyed his liege’s dreams. In the ensuing period of chaos that gripped the region, he proved able to keep his own territories, and eventually was the one who struck the final blow to the Gongsun Clan by conquering Gongsun Xu’s last territories, forcing the son of his former master to submit. Since then, he had been dabbling in marital diplomacy, ensuring good marriages for all of his children, including marriage within the Tao Clan of Xu Province, the Gongsun Clan and the family of Budugen the Great. Most importantly were the marriages of his son Zhao Gongxiu to Tan Shenquan’s sister and of his daughter Zhao Shier to Xiao Dang, Emperor Cheng’s fourth son.

An old Han loyalist, he had been firmly against the rise of these new powers in China that threatened a Han restauration. Because of this, he had sided with Tan Shenquan against Xiao Ru in the invasion of Qing Province, even advising him against surrendering up to the very end. Seeing how things had turned out for the young man only confirmed his views of the new dynasties and his desire to remain independent. When envoys from Chang’an came bearing news that he was welcomed to submit to the Liang, Zhao Yun humbly told them that he would never submit to the man who ordered the death of the true Imperial Clan. If Emperor Anwu wanted his lands, then he would need to take them by force.

Of course, the Emperor had expected this answer. This is why his envoys then went to the court of Wang Li of Jibei, another of the few remaining independent warlords in the region. Wang Li had the unenviable position of being situated right in the middle of Zhao Yun’s territories. In order to connect the two halves of his lands, Zhao Yun had decided to invade Wang Li’s territories in 221. That war had dragged on due to the support of Cao Cao, who served as Wang Li’s protector. The brilliant strategist had inflicted such a defeat upon Zhao Yun’s army that it took him years to recover. But then the war between Cao Cao and the Liang Dynasty happened, followed by Cao Cao’s death and Cao Mang’s regents entrenching themselves in their own territories, thus allowing Zhao Yun to regain the advantage. The Liang Dynasty now offered to take Cao Cao’s role and come to Wang Li’s defense. Within hours of the offer, Wang Li sent an official request for help to Chang’an.

By the time it reached the capital, troops had already started to mobilize in the north of China in the Fangzi County, with the city of Fangzi serving as the main headquarters of the campaign. Thousand of troops throughout the Empire were sent to this new destination with orders to await the arrival of the Emperor and his generals. Indeed, Emperor Anwu would once again take personal command of the campaign, wanting to prove that he had not lost his touch over the years. He had learned his lesson from the debacle against Cao Cao and now planned a more prudent campaign, one that didn’t simply assume that he would be inevitably victorious. But spirits were high in the Imperial Capital. His Grand Commandant Xu Chu could barely hold his horse, packing his things to go destroy another enemy and gain glory on the battlefield.

But Xu Chu would soon find out that he was not going to accompany the Emperor on campaign. Before he left, Emperor Anwu took a tremendous decision for the safety of his dynasty: he had the entirety of his old followers removed from their offices in the Imperial Capital. After much thoughts on the issue, he decided that the power granted to these individuals left his heir weakened and vulnerable. Yes, they had followed him, but would they follow Yao Yuan? Wanting his son to have less influential advisors, Emperor Anwu made sweeping changes to his court. The only ones that stayed were officials who had only been appointed in recent years, like the Chancellor Jin Xuan or the Excellency of Works Huo Du.

And Xu Chu was the first casualty. He was ordered to return to Yi Province and fulfil his duties as its governor. While he was furious, Xu Chu could do little but accept his removal as Grand Commandant. To replace him was Zhang Dezong, who had accompanied the Emperor on his campaign against Cao Xi. Zhang Dezong was a competent general, even if he had little skills in anything else. But what recommended him was his lack of ambition. The Emperor could trust him to never fancy a station above his own, as he simply wanted to serve on the battlefield, emphasis on serve. This made him a far more trustworthy Grand Commandant than the short-tempered Xu Chu.

It wouldn’t be a shock to say that the removal of Duan Zuo was a long time coming. The Grand Tutor and Head of the Imperial Academy had always been corrupt and greedy, which had been a continuous problem over the years. But now this level of corruption needed to be addressed, especially as he continued his bad practices even after being flogged for his crimes. Frustrated, the Emperor ordered the arrest of the Grand Tutor, who was quickly thrown in jail and stripped of his power in the Imperial Capital. Plans were made for him to be tried and executed after the campaign, as Emperor Anwu didn’t want to handle such important topic on the fly. Because of this, he would simply be left to rot in a cell, pleading to be released. The new Grand Tutor was Shang Zhongwu, a man of lesser skills, but who also didn’t have the guts to betray the Emperor’s trust, especially after seeing what had happened to Duan Zuo.

But everyone was surprised when even Xu Shu was removed as Excellency of the Masses. He was the most loyal follower of the Emperor and the father-in-law of the Crown Prince. This last part was why Emperor Anwu was worried about him. Being the father-in-law of an emperor might bring tremendous power, especially if that emperor was young and inexperienced. Even if Xu Shu did remain loyal to Yao Yuan as he had been for Emperor Anwu, there was no guarantee that his family would feel the same. And it was certain that such family would gain from having Xu Shu in an influential position.

But these were not the only consideration. While Xu Shu had been a decent official, his specialty had always been strategy. His lack of political talent had allowed Pan Zheng and Duan Zuo to lead the affairs of the Dynasty. And then there was his deteriorating mental state. Xu Shu’s age was starting to take a toll on his mind, with memory problems and mental issues starting to appear. While Hu Zhen had been tolerated, his failed stint as Chancellor had proven that this could not be allowed within the imperial government. Still, even if he was fired, Xu Shu would not be forgotten by his liege. The Emperor ordered him to leave for Fangzi to supervise the troops, with plans for him to participate in this campaign alongside Emperor Anwu and the new Grand Commandant.

The new Excellency of the Masses was Ren Duo, whose appointment seemed to contradict the goal of removing old followers of the Emperor. After all, Ren Duo had been a key supporter of Emperor Anwu ever since his conquest of Sili Province in 202. He had served as Chief Clerk of the future Emperor for most of the 200’s and 210’s, until he was finally removed due to his obvious lack of competence in his office. However, he had since managed to rise back up from obscurity, first as an excellent Intendant of Henan and then as Minister Coachman of the Liang Dynasty, a position he occupied since 222. He was now back into the imperial inner circle, and in a far more appropriate position.

With these issues dealt with, the Emperor finally left Chang’an to go take command of his army. Emperor Anwu was accompanied by his elite barbarian cavalry and his Grand Commandant Zhang Dezong. As he made his way toward Fangzi, he was surprised to receive a letter from Xuan Mei, the Governor of Bing Province. He sent Emperor Anwu his best wishes and hoped for his success, but explained that he was needed to protect the border and so could not participate in person. Emperor Anwu was so used to Xuan Su trying to get involved in his affairs that this simple letter was a shock to the Son of Heaven. It seemed that the son was different from the father, hopefully in a good way. At the very least, he was either more dedicated to his duties or too cowardly to be a problem.

In May, the Imperial Army finally entered Anping Commandery and started to lay sieges to some of the cities. But Zhao Yun hadn’t been sitting idly waiting for his enemy to arrive. He knew that he would not be able to defeat the Emperor on the field of battle, so instead he decided to use his forces to reinforce the cities under his control. He hoped to tire down the Liang troops by forcing them to settle for long and ineffectual sieges. Hopefully, this would prove enough of a drag that the Liang would eventually need to write off this campaign as a waste of resources. Sadly for Zhao Yun, his troops did not share his willpower or his drive to win this war, preferring to surrender than starve to death. By early June, Hejian and most of the surrounding cities had surrendered, opening the path for the rest of the commandery.

Then Emperor Anwu had a malaise as he oversaw tactical meeting with his officers. Embarrassed, he retired to his quarters for the night and ordered that the meeting be continued the following morning. But the next day his situation had yet to improve. After two days of his health declining, Xu Shu called a physician to attend the Emperor’s bedside. The physician gave him some remedies, but it did not improve his situation. After speaking with Xu Shu and the physician, Emperor Anwu decided that he needed to be brought back to Chang’an. Hopefully, the imperial doctors could do a better job in the palace than a local physician in an army camp. And if they couldn’t… then he needed Yao Yuan to be as close to him to ensure a clean transition of power.

After ordering Zhang Dezong to continue the campaign without him, five hundred soldiers were dispatched to escort him back to Chang’an at high speed. Officially, this delegation was to bring news of the victories achieved on campaign, as not to reveal the Emperor’s current state. Emperor Anwu could no longer ride, and so had to be carried in an imperial litter. Even then, he soon became unable to leave his bed. Some advised that travelled slowly as not to aggravate Emperor Anwu’s health, but the Emperor refused. They needed to reach Chang’an as fast as possible, no matter the consequences. Sadly, the consequences would be quite high. Emperor Anwu phased in and out of consciousness, his body slowly failing him. On the 17th of July 225, Emperor Anwu died at the age of 56, having reigned over his new dynasty for six years. He was within sight of his Imperial Capital, and testimonies recount that his last act was a meek attempt to grab the distant city with his dying hand as the sun set up on the horizon. Thus died the man who ended 400 years of Han rule.

Now carrying an imperial corpse, the detachment hastened their pace and reached Chang’an by the following morning. They did their best to hide the truth of their presence until they had reached the Imperial Palace. But someone eventually spoke up, as people lined the streets to grieve the passing of their great ruler. And this meant that the court was probably aware of this too. Realizing that his brother would eventually be made aware of the situation and that Yao Xiu still had supporters at court, the Crown Prince moved quickly to secure his throne. He played the role of the filial son with excellence, weeping on the ground as he was presented his father’s remains. He then quickly assembled the court and had two decrees read to the officialdom.

The first was the decree confirming his ascension to the Imperial Throne as the second emperor of the Liang Dynasty. Chancellor Jin Xuan wasn’t a fan of the young man, but went through with it out of loyalty to the dynasty, a move soon followed by the court’s recognition of Yao Yuan as the Son of Heaven. The second edict was the immediate selection of a posthumous name for his esteemed father. While his father had expressed an interested for Wu (the Martial) or Gao (the High), Yao Yuan settled for Anwu of Liang 梁安武帝; LiángĀnwǔ Dì; “The Peaceful and Martial Emperor of Liang”). His father had expressed an interest in Wu (the Martial), but Yao Yuan also wished to emphasize his role in bringing peace to China, thus the An (the Peaceful). And so, at nineteen years of age, Yao Yuan became the second emperor of the Liang Dynasty, to be known posthumously as Emperor Wen of Liang (梁文帝; LiángWén Dì; “The Civil Emperor of Liang”).

______________________________________________
PS: So let’s start by thanking @binobo for Yao Shuren (169-225), aka Emperor Anwu. I don’t think I’m going to be controversial by saying that he was the most important character of this AAR so far. While others like Dong Zhuo, Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan, Xiao Ru or Chen Wen had a big impact on the plot, at the end of the day Yao Shuren was the one to usurp the Han and unify most (but not all) of China under his rule. His impact on the story was immense, with his weight now disappearing from the story. Though I will say that his reign, while pretty good, lack the greatness of his earlier achievements. He kind of suffer the same fate as many IRLs founders, in that they became emperors at an old age and thus only had shorter reigns that didn’t fully match their previous successes (like IRL Liu Bei).
Emperor Anwu’s death honestly took me by surprise, in part because it was just a natural death, and also because he was just 56, while Emperor Cheng is 62 and still alive and well. Now one of the greatest men in China is gone, and his Dynasty will have to prosper without him.

Also, here is the update on every character and where they are at:

• Liu Siyuan (@EtzelHoveri ): Was killed by Feng Zian in 207 at the age of 44. His legacy is that of a great hero of the Han Dynasty, who helped Emperor Qianfei seize back control of his dynasty in a last ditched effort to save it. His last surviving son Liu Kun is currently living in the Chen Dynasty.
• Xiao Ru/Emperor Cheng of Chen (@Ixarys ): The founding emperor of the Chen Dynasty, he just recovered from three years of civil war which left him weakened but standing (figuratively, as his gout makes it almost impossible for him to get up). Currently has six children, a daughter (Xiao Xiaowen, 191) and three sons (Crown Prince Xiao Tung, 193, Xiao Bin, 196, and Xiao Dang 199) from his wife Lady Xia, as well as a son (Xiao Hanhe, 196) and a daughter (Xiao Cha, 206) from a concubine.
• Jiang Xian (@Massinissa the Wise ): The former Chancellor of the Han, he committed suicide in 206 at the age of 40 when it became clear that Yuan Shu would take Luoyang. Unlike Liu Siyuan, his legacy is that of a corrupt official who abused his authority and played a key role in weakening the Han through his machinations. Of the ten characters, he was the first and to die and the youngest at the time of his death. His wife Diaochan died in 224. His son Jiang Wenguan is still in hiding, but will be able to return to a normal life under Emperor Wen, and eventually becomes a magistrate serving under Hu Duo (the current Excellency of Works in the Liang)
• Feng Zian (@Idhrendur ): The late Grand Commandant of the Han Imperial Army, he died at the age of 43 from injuries sustained during Yao Shuren’s invasion of the Han. Is often seen as the last great hero of the Han Dynasty. His two sons now fight on opposing sides, with Feng Yong pledging himself to the Liang Dynasty while Feng Guo currently serve the new Chen Dynasty. I’m spoiling it right now, but Feng Yong will be assassinated by Feng Guo, only for Feng Guo to die the following day. They will both leave two sons behind to continue the family.
• Xuan Su (@HistoryDude ): Xuan Su died at the age of 56 from consumption, after years of fighting the disease. Before his death, he controlled both Bing and You Province, making him the most powerful governor in the north. He was able to secure Bing Province for his son Xuan Mei, who is currently its governor, and his other sons are also doing well.
• Hu Zan (@patpekala ): Hu Zan currently serves as Administrator of Donghai Commandery and is currently Grand Commandant of the Chen Dynasty, a position he got after a few years of revolt against Emperor Cheng. His talents and his closeness with the crown prince seem to indicate that he is destined for a great career under the new imperial regime, though his terrible relationship with Emperor Cheng might ruin that destiny . He has four sons, Hu Da (191-217) from his first marriage with Feng Ai and Hu Weizhi (198), Hu Jingxuan (200) and Hu Ah (201) from his second marriage with Zhu Fanjing. Also has a daughter Hu Xianji (207) from his third marriage with Chen Jiner. He also has many grandchildren.
• Yang Weili (@Specialist290 ): Yang Weili was a great general who finished his career in the service of Xiao Ru, dying at the age of 58 from natural causes. He was the last of the character to die during the Han Dynasty, and in his last moments proved loyal to its restauration. His only surviving son Yang Qub is currently Administrator of Runan Commandery and the first Excellency of Works of the Chen Dynasty, though he lost that office in one of the many shifts at the Chen court. He is also married to Feng Nuwang, daughter of Feng Zian, with who he had two sons (although only one of them, Yang Guangxu, is still alive).
• Yao Shuren/Emperor Anwu of Liang (@binobo ): The man who usurped the Han Dynasty, Emperor Anwu died of natural death at the age of 56. His younger son Yao Yuan has now inherited the Liang Dynasty as Emperor Wen of Liang, while his older son Prince Yao Xiu is the presumptive heir to the throne, as Emperor Wen only has daughters. A difficult situation that will be interesting to follow.
• Mo Jie (@Midnite Duke ): Mo Jie has recently returned to the Liang court to serve as Excellency of Works. He is also the Governor of Kong Province and has been made the Marquis of Kong. Due to a falling out with the court and the Emperor, he found himself evicted from the Imperial Capital of Chang’an, and now lives his days as a happy provincial governor. He has six daughters, three from his wife Ma Yunlu (Mo Daiyu, 198, Mo Xiaowen, 204, Mo Shanwei, 207), two from a deceased concubine named Shaoming (Ma Zanghua, 203, Mo Zuimei, 207), and one from a concubine named Tonge (Ma Xinyue, 213). He also adopted the barbarian Mo Duo (197) as his son, which caused quite the scandal.
• Pan Zheng (@Dunaden ): Pan Zheng died suddenly at the age of 48 due to food poisoning after drinking some bad milk. He is remembered as the best Chancellor of the Liang Dynasty so far, and for his many failed campaigns against the southern barbarians in Jiaozhi. Of his children, only two stand out of the pack. His only living son Pan Zhiyuan is currently serving as Magistrate of Zitong and has successfully been allowed to inherit his father’s title as Marquis of Yi. And then there is his second daughter Pan Xiaoji, who is now part of the Imperial Harem as a concubine of the new Emperor Wen, to who she has already given a daughter.

 

[Zamarak500]

225: PEACETIME IN THE CHEN DYNASTY​

Emperor Cheng had won, defeating and executing the rebels that had sided with the traitor Tan Shanquan, who had his whole Clan slaughtered as thoroughly as possible. But while the Emperor could only smile at this efficient cruelty on his part, he didn’t feel like he had truly won. He had been forced to compromise with Yi Shing and his ilk, who now held important positions at court. While in public he showed the face of a calm and reasonable emperor, in private he fumed and stressed out against this strong-arming of his imperial prerogatives. He was the Son of Heaven, the true ruler of China! Yet here he was, being forced to accept traitors and reward them with high-ranking offices withing HIS dynasty. This was humiliating. This was insulting! And clearly, someone had to have done a great mistake for such calamity to befall the dynasty.

And three weeks after peace had returned to the Chen, the Emperor decided to punish one of these “guilty officials”. But to everyone’s surprise, this punishment was not handed to one of the former rebels, but to one of the generals that had just fought and won the civil war for Emperor Cheng. Liu Xian was brought to trial by the Emperor, who saw too much ambition in the general’s eyes. Yet his ambitions were rooted within the Chen Dynasty, and he never had any intentions to act against his lieges. But now the Emperor was blaming his officers for their failure to end the revolts. Liu Xian was brought to Chenguo where, to Emperor Cheng’s credit, he was given a trial instead of being simply punished for his failures. And it was not a complete sham.

The trial was the biggest affair of January and February, taking the attention of anyone who was someone within the Imperial Capital. However, every testimony favored Liu Xian. Chen Tiao, now Marquis of Jiyin, described Liu Xian as an exemplary general and a good official. Tao Boyang, the last Governor of Xu Province before it was conquered by Chen, also came to Chenguo to present his own testimony. He only had good things to say about Liu Xian, who had remained loyal to him until the very last unlike other officers. Even the Crown Prince Xiao Tung came to Liu Xian’s defense. Whatever accusations were brought against the man were dropped as the Emperor recognized that Liu Xian was probably not the guilty party. It didn’t stop Emperor Cheng from quietly firing Liu Xian as magistrate and removing him from his generals. While Liu Xian would eventually be appointed as magistrate of another county in 229 and die at the old age of 80 in 238, this marked the end of his prominence within the Chen Dynasty.

This tyrannical display of authority did not sit well with the court. Many officials who had recently taken part in Yi Shing’s revolt had hoped that the Emperor would have learned his lesson by now, that he would change to prove a more righteous ruler. But the Emperor was not going to bend his own values just because of a small setback. He was the Son of Heaven, the true ruler of China. And no one could avoid his justice and his will. If anything, he had come out of the civil war more convinced of himself and more distrustful of his subordinates, who he saw as either incompetent or unreliable. His son Xiao Hanhe, who served as one of his close advisors, was certainly noticing the discontent among the officials. He also noticed how little his father seemed to care about criticisms these days, which is why he was too scared to point out the current situation to Emperor Cheng.

One person who surprisingly supported the Emperor’s action, even to his own surprise, was his daughter-in-law the Crown Princess. Having been raised by the strong and sometimes violent Budugen the Great, she saw her father-in-law’s actions as a show of power, not abuse of his authority. But she was also playing it smart. Changle wasn’t stupid. She knew that while the bullying stopped, she remained a weakness for her husband and her sons. And considering how the relationship between her husband and father-in-law was slowly disintegrating, she needed to do everything in her power to help protect their succession rights. Not that she had the courage to oppose Emperor Cheng anymore, considering what he did to those that stood against him. This meant that Changle became a surprising supporter of the Emperor, leaving Xiao Tung flabbergasted and confused about her new stance.

The peasantry was clearly not a fan of the Emperor and his policies though, as some of them decided to rise up in February. They were partially made of former veterans who had sided with the rebels and feared for their lives, though they were joined by men and women who disliked the harsh laws of the Chen Dynasty. Whatever their reasons, they revolted and started to agitate against the local government. And they were surprisingly successful in recruiting people to their cause. By the end of the month, they had almost five thousand rebels under their banner, a sizeable number that certainly took the Chen court by surprise.

The Emperor immediately dispatched an army to handle the revolt. The new Grand Commandant Hu Zan came forward and advised that he led the response, as he was obviously the best general currently serving the Chen Dynasty, a fact showed by his current office. He also demanded that the Crown Prince accompany him on this heroic campaign against the rebels. But Emperor Cheng refused these demands. He appointed Hu Zan to bring an end to the civil war, not to allow him to rack up prestige and glory. And Hu Zan also wanted Xiao Tung to help him? He had become quite suspicious of his son and now wished to keep him as closed as possible for safety. His own safety.

Instead of sending Hu Zan, Emperor Cheng decided to give command of this expedition to Ba Daiping, another great general who had defected to Yi Shing during the recent civil war. Ba Daiping had previously been a close ally of Tan Shenquan before Qing Province was annexed, which might make his appointment puzzling. But unlike Hu Zan, Ba Daiping lacked the political skills to thrive at court, being little more than a military man. This alone made him a far more appealing option than the Grand Commandant. To assist him on this campaign was the young Chen Gongwei, a young administrator known for his loyalty to Emperor Cheng, being defeated by Tan Shenquan and his hardworking nature.

It was around that time that Emperor Cheng was made aware of the Liang campaign against Anping Commandery. This was right on his new northern border, a clear threat to the safety of the dynasty. After consulting with his advisors, the Emperor decided that this could not stand unanswered. He dispatched envoys to Zhao Yun offering him help from the Chen Dynasty. However, the warlord rightfully feared that the Chen might use this as an excuse to gain influence within his territories. Refusing to recognize the Chen, let alone accept its help, Zhao Yun had the messengers escorted outside of his borders as he prepared to face Emperor Anwu.

But while Zhao Yun was not interested to side with the Chen Dynasty, others were far keener on this offer of imperial protection. The Magistrate of Yi was a middle-aged man named Shih Zhengyi, who had inherited the position when his father passed away in 207. Through a mix of luck, excellent management and not being noticed due to his inherent weakness, Shih Zhengyi had managed to remain independent since inheriting his lands. But now he could clearly see the pressure of the Liang Dynasty coming toward him. And if he was going to submit to a new imperial dynasty, then it would be on his terms. He sent an offer to Chenguo, proposing to submit himself to the Chen Dynasty in exchange of recognition of his office of magistrate and reinforcements to bolster his garrisons. Emperor Cheng didn’t even have to think twice before he agreed, and by the end of March the Chen Dynasty had expanded once more.

In early June, Emperor Cheng was hit with the loss of his wife, the young Fahui. When he had married her, he had found her surprisingly honest with him, which he found refreshing and likeable. Even so, she was only made his first consort when he founded the Chen Dynasty. Emperor Cheng never promoted her to the rank of empress as he didn’t want to threaten his sons’ position in the succession should Fahui produce him a son. But they never produced any child together, in part because the Emperor’s gout making any sort of physical activity a chore. And then she caught the flu and died from it at the age of 28. She had entered Chenguo as a maid to Changle, only to end up as the wife of the first emperor of Chen. Her loss was palpable, and while he promoted another concubine to the rank of First Consort, his entourage noticed that the absence of Fahui only made his mood fouler.

The peasant uprising was able to go on for months before Ba Daiping was finally able to corner them in mid-July. The general had been forced to fight a long protracted war against the rebels, who held many bases in their home region and remained unwilling to surrender even after a defeat on the field of battle. But in the end, their resilience proved futile against the trained veterans of the Chen military. Ba Daiping (and Chen Gongwei, but he was mostly ignored) returned to Chenguo as a hero. Which gave Emperor Cheng the perfect excuse to fire Hu Zan as Grand Commandant and replace him with Ba Daiping, a move that took both men by surprise. Hu Zan played it nice at court, but he later spoke with Chen Tiao, the Marquis of Jiyin, where he voice his displeasure by saying: “I cannot wait for the Crown Prince to sit on the throne.” Surprisingly, the ever loyal Chen Tiao did not report these comments to Emperor Cheng, as he was in fact starting to agree with them.

While the Liang Dynasty did its best to stop the news from spreading, it eventually reached Chenguo in August. The Chen Imperial Court learned that Emperor Anwu had died in mid-July. The great usurper, the evil pretender, the dynastic rival… All nicknames for the number one enemy of the Dynasty. And now he was gone. This great threat had passed away while Emperor Cheng continued just fine (minus that terrible gout). Truly, Heaven favored the Xiao Clan. The Emperor was quick to organize celebrations, with officials readily bringing their praised of the Emperor and his dynasty, which was clearly the true heir of the Han.

These praises eventually put a plan in the Emperor’s mind. The Liang Dynasty was now ruled by an inexperienced and young Emperor Wen, who was barely older than his own grandson. The Liang military was distracted with their campaign against Anping. Now might be the time to strike at the Liang Dynasty and take back lands that were rightfully Chen’s. After all, the Chen was the heir of the Han, and thus had a legitimate right to the whole of China. And now ambitions of reunifying China were appearing in the Emperor’s head. A weak ruler like Emperor Wen could easily be defeated. And even if his advisors were competent, Emperor Cheng had better ones! His generals were the greatest in China! Yes… Victory would soon be his!

Over the following months, Emperor Cheng and his advisors devised a dubious plan to seize large amounts of territories from the Liang Dynasty before it could settle in with its new emperor. Well, mostly just the Emperor. While he did listen to advises from others, he did not take any criticisms nicely. His new plan hinged on the recent death of two individuals. First was of course that of Emperor Anwu, but he was surprisingly not the most important death in this plan. The Shanyue chieftain Yan Bayu had died in April 225, leaving his lands divided between his two oldest sons. While the obvious choice might have been to attack Yan Bayu of Wucheng, as his lands bordered the Chen Dynasty, Emperor Cheng instead went for the further away Yan Dahu of Fuchun. The Chen Army would force him to submit as a tributary, thus giving the Dynasty an allied base in the Hangzhou Bay. From there, they would seize Yang Province while the Liang army was distracted in the north and then, if things went really well, take the whole of China. This plan was supported by some at court, including the sycophant Ren Duo and the strange Yi Shing.

Of course, this plan drew criticisms from the various military commanders like Hu Zan, Ba Daiping and Chen Tiao. They pointed out that sending their army through the Hangzhou Bay was a risky and dangerous strategy, especially to attack the barbarian who was the furthest from their territories. And not to mention the fact that the “distracted” Liang army was literally on their northern border. But the generals found their access to the gout ridden emperor blocked by his Excellency of the Masses, the hated Ren Duo. Once again, Ren Duo skillfully managed to rebuke the generals with well placed accusations of their real intentions in criticizing the Emperor.

Frustrated by the situation, each of the general individually went to meet with the Crown Prince to tell him about these issues. But he had also been taking advises on how to act which contradicted the demands of these officers. His wife Changle had suggested that, for the time being, he simply put his trust in his father, even if this was becoming harder to do by the day. Xiao Bin, his closest brother who now advised him frequently, also told him to be patient. Their father was not immortal, and whatever gripe he had with the current affairs could be addressed once he was emperor. But Xiao Tung could not simply abandon the generals and tried to get their point across. Sadly, his meetings with his father were a complete failure. At one point, a disgruntled Emperor Cheng simply told him “What did I do to deserve such an unworthy son?”

Emperor Cheng’s opinion of his grandson was barely superior, only made better by the fact that the young man had time to improve. Xiao Gong had reached the age of sixteen as the invasion of the barbarians was being prepared. The oldest son of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, he was not only expected to one day succeed his father as emperor, but was also the grandson of the fearsome Budugen the Great. While Xiao Tung had grown up refusing to become the same man as Emperor Cheng, Xiao Cong had always idolized his father. This led to him being able to get a far better military education than his father, having actually been taught in tactics and military strategy. But for all the love he received from his parents, Xiao Cong proved to be a dull man with little imagination or creativity. Not exactly the smart man that his grandfather was. In a sad repeat of the previous generation, Xiao Tung would start to look at his son with some disappointment, though in his case paternal love never disappeared.

The whole debates over the southern campaign were rendered moot when a group of envoys arrived from the barbarian chieftain a month within preparations. Yan Dayu had reasonably come to the conclusion that he had no chance of ever fighting off the Chen Imperial Army, and so chose to willingly submit as a tributary of the Chen. Which meant that there was no need for a war, and thus no excuse to send an army in the Hangzhou Bay to seize Yang Province. This whole schemed now fell apart because the first step proved too successful for its own good. And at the end of the day, Emperor Cheng could only blame himself for this success.

Of course, he didn’t blame himself. His pride would never allow him to admit his own wrongs, even while he had such a sense of justice and responsibility. Instead, he turned his attention toward the generals who had been trying to hinder his various plans this year. And at the end of the day, he chose to settle on Chen Tiao, the most loyal of them all. He decreed that the old man was to be replaced as administrator of his commandery and lose his newly given Marquisate.

But Chen Tiao saw how this led to the end of Liu Xian’s career. Frustrated by his emperor’s ruthlessness, even toward those loyal to him, the most loyal and longest serving Grand Commandant decided to rise into revolt on the last week of the year. Joining him in his revolt were various official who had all lost faith in the current emperor: Chen Gongwei, the general who had helped Ba Daiping defeat the peasant uprising, Luo An, the excellent Excellency of Works who was replaced within a year of his appointment, and Liu Xi, an advisor of the Emperor who was now disgusted by his cruel, ruthless and tyrannic rule. And they all rose up with one goal in mind: to save the Chen Dynasty, Emperor Cheng needed to go.

 

[Zamarak500]

225-226: THE CIVIL EMPEROR​

Yao Yuan had now succeeded his father as the new emperor of the Liang Dynasty at the young age of nineteen. While he was an apt courtier who knew how to maneuver in the imperial web of intrigues, shown in particular by his ability to secure the succession, he was not the most qualified heir. His only office previous to his ascension had been as Minister of the Imperial Clan, a task incredibly easy when you have little to no close relatives. But even so, the young monarch now hoped to continue his father’s work and help the dynasty prosper. Sure, there would be critics, but clearly, they could simply take his place since they were also sons of the late Emperor Anwu. Oh wait! No, they weren’t!

Well, one man could answer this with a confident yes: his older brother Yao Xiu. Prince Xiu had been exiled by his father almost five years ago, sent to administrate a small county on the coast to be forgotten. Except that he proved an able and competent administrator, leading him to gain supporters, which only increased his resentment toward their father. Emperor Wen had to nip this potential threat right from the start if he wanted his reign to be stable. But seeing how the stick had failed during his father’s reign, the new emperor chose to use the carrot.

He recalled his brother to Chang’an, declaring his fraternal love for his half-brother and asking for his help. He appointed him as the Governor of Liang Province, even going as far as giving him their father’s old headquarters in Tianshui as his provincial capital. Yao Xiu was also made Chief Architect, with the duty of building the Imperial Mosoleum of their imperial father in Tianshui. This task should keep him occupied for at least half a decade. But just to be safe, Emperor Wen quickly followed this appointment with the announcement that he officially declared his brother as his Crown Prince. Yao Xiu would be the heir of the Liang Dynasty. And if Emperor Wen eventually had a son, then that son would be passed over in favor of his brother (though in truth the Emperor hoped to be secured enough to change the succession by that time).

This was of course quite dangerous. He was giving enormous new powers to his brother, who was now the heir of the Liang Dynasty and in control of the province from which their family originated. Yao Xiu might use this to plot an overthrow of Emperor Wen. But surprisingly, it worked perfectly. The now Crown Prince Xiu was satisfied (for the moment) to eventually inherit what he believed to be his birthright. In the meantime, he was given ample responsibilities to prove his worth. Even more surprising, the two brothers would develop a tight bond between themselves. While they had been pitted against each other over succession, it seemed that with their father now gone the two brothers found themselves getting along quite well.

With this potential enemy turned close ally, Emperor Wen then turned to other family members. He quickly issued a decree promoting his mother Empress Liang to the rank of Empress Dowager of the Liang Dynasty, the first woman to hold the position. The thought of an empress dowager lording over a young and weak-willed emperor certainly worried the officialdom, but they had nothing to worry about. Not about the weak-willed part, as Emperor Wen was indeed the sort to bend when confronted. But Empress Dowager Liang simply did not have the skills nor the will to be the puppet master of her son, who was simply far more politically apt than her. The Empress Dowager would mostly remain away from court affairs, only getting involved in the familial and marital affairs of her son.

With Empress Dowager Liang removing herself from the scene, this left the stage ready for the new Empress Xu. The new empress was the daughter of the longtime Liang loyalist Xu Shu (who had been dismissed from Chang’an at the start of the year by Emperor Anwu). Most people who met the young woman described her as a proper and patient lady who occasionally blurred her honest thoughts when she should have kept them to herself. Thankfully, she knew to do this only in private and with people she knew well enough to forgive her honesty.

But through her calm and composed demeanor, Empress Xu was suffering from frequent bouts of depression. While the rigidity of her duties was slowly getting to her, the main reason behind this was her inability to produce a child with the Emperor. She had been raised to be a proper lady, worthy of her father and worthy of being married within the Yao Imperial Clan. But she had yet to produce an heir to her husband, or a child for that matter. Wang Wenjun and Pan Xiaoji had both given him daughters, so why couldn’t she fulfill her role? It didn’t help that she was quite shy when it came to sexual relationships, something that the concubines didn’t have to worry about. And then there was the attitude of the Emperor. Not in a particular haste to produce a son with his brother right there to inherit, Emperor Wen found himself even less interested in Empress Xu due to her depression. This only exacerbated her condition.

As for his main advisors, things were definitively more tense than expected. Emperor Anwu had fired many of his old comrades in order to ensure that they wouldn’t had too much power over the new Emperor. The new advisors would be less influential and thus more likely to support Emperor Wen. Slight hiccup in this plan: none of them liked the Emperor (with one notable exception). Chancellor Jin Xuan didn’t like the sarcasms of the Emperor nor his lack of empathy. The Excellency of Works Hu Duo was simply paranoid and didn’t trust this scheming young emperor one bit. The Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo had once served under Emperor Anwu and didn’t like being bossed around by a boy under twenty, even if they had similar personalities. As for the Grand Tutor Zhang Zhongwu, they just didn’t get along, though neither the Emperor nor his scholar dared to start a confrontation over this.

To summarize, Emperor Wen was in a peculiar situation. His mother had removed herself from politics instead of assisting him, his wife failed to produce him a son, his brother turned ally had been made too busy to help him in Chang’an and the advisors left behind by his father hated his guts. This was not the ideal start for the reign of a young and inexperienced emperor. Thankfully for Emperor Wen, he had the full loyalty of one member of his council, and a critical one at that: the Grand Commandant. Zhang Dezong had been promoted by Emperor Anwu because he was a good general and little else. He had no personal ambitions outside of fighting for the Dynasty, nor could he prosper at court due to his lack of social skills. As long as the Emperor allowed him to lead campaigns, Zhang Dezong would always be there to side with Emperor Wen, shielding him against threats to his authority.

Many officials either sent gifts and tributes to Chang’an or visited in order to get in the good graces of their new monarch. This was certainly at the forefront of Xuan Mei’s mind when he was made aware of the succession. He needed to ensure that he was on the good side of the Emperor, that he could use him to gain control of You Province as his father Xuan Su had done. He was the rightful heir of Xuan Su and would reclaim what his father had once controlled, bringing back the Xuan Clan to the forefront of Liang politics! But he was also warned that the Emperor might use his presence in the Capital to arrest him and remove him from power. Fearing this real possibility that Emperor Wen did indeed contemplate, he instead chose to cowardly send his wife to present the gifts to the Imperial Court.

Han Huidai was the youngest daughter of Han Fu, the last Han appointed Governor of Ji Province before it was seized by Gongsun Zan. Han Huidai had been married to Xuan Mei as part of one of Xuan Su’s wild plans to lay some sort of claim on Ji Province. Lady Han was known for being quite the looker, which coupled with her kind heart and surprisingly upfront personality made her well liked among her peers. She certainly caught the attention of Emperor Wen when she showed up in Chang’an with gifts. Officially, her husband couldn’t come because he was defending the border, but she bluntly said that he was simply too scared to make the trip.

Immediately, Emperor Wen started to fall head over heel for Han Huidai. He arranged multiple audiences with her, officially to ask her about the situation on the northern border and to learn more about these areas he had never visited. Soon enough, he started to make visits to the house she was living in while in the Capital. Han Huidai certainly welcomed the attention, and being courted by the Emperor certainly felt better than that hunchback she had for an husband. The Emperor then used excuses and ploys to convince her to stay longer and longer, eventually stretching her stay to six weeks.

But in the end, Emperor Wen got cold feet and put an end to their relationship before it turned physical. He realized that stealing the wife of one of his governors was not a great way to start his reign. More than likely, it would leave him with an amoral and debauch reputation, which he did not need. His wife and concubines had also been complaining once they noticed that his attention was clearly elsewhere. Empress Dowager Liang even told her son “Whoever you are fucking, she is either a whore or your concubine, but choose quickly.” A bit taken aback by his mother’s foul language, he answered with “And now I know what use my father the late emperor had for your fool mouth, if this is all you think about.” But for all this crass exchange between mother and son, it did bring Emperor Wen to the conclusion that the fallback for bringing her in his harem would be too much. Han Huidai also agreed, as she had just given birth to a son named Xuan Shen the previous year. She couldn’t abandon him and her daughters like that. Their blossoming romance thus came to a quick end through their own accord.

Seeking a distraction from his broken heart, Emperor Wen decided to bolster his prestige and new regime by surrounding himself with his father’s former associate. This was despite the fact that his father had pushed them away to avoid these officials getting to close and influential with Emperor Wen. He appointed his father-in-law Xu Shu as Minister of Justice, hoping to eventually make him one of the main supports of his reign. He sent orders to Xu Chu, Governor of Yi Province and Marquis of Longxi, to leave for the Imperial Capital to be handed a command on the campaign against Zhao Yun (which was still being fought by Grand Commandant Zhang Dezong and Xu Shu). He even released the long-time scholar Duan Zuo, even though he had been arrested for his crimes and was going to be executed by Emperor Anwu once the campaign ended. In an attempt to link his regime to that of his father, he was bringing back some of the most problematic men that Emperor Anwu had attempted to push aside.

But the most important of these rises back to power was that of Mo Jie, who had fell from grace after the adoption of his barbarian son Mo Duo. The 65 years old men had spent the last few years as the Governor (and Marquis) of Kong, simply doing his best to improve the life of the local people. But now Emperor Anwu wanted to show that he was his father’s successor, which meant bringing back one of his oldest followers. The paranoid Hu Duo, who had replaced Mo Jie as Excellency of Works, found himself removed from office to make place for the old man. Hu Duo would come out of this frustrated and with a grudge against both Mo Jie and Emperor Wen.

Of course, many protested the appointment, and the Emperor almost caved. Mo Jie tried to say that he was fine with living the rest of his life away from Chang’an, but most perceived it as an inspiring speech that convinced some officials that Mo Jie might be the man for the job, including the Chancellor Jin Xuan. He was immediately made the new Excellency of Works, a position he readapted to with ease. But this time would be different. Previously, Emperor Anwu had been the driving force behind the policies, always hindering or denying Mo Jie’s ideas to reform the realm and avoid the tyranny he once rebelled against. But now sat a young, inexperienced emperor with no real will to force economic policies (which he barely understood anyway). Now was the time for Mo Jie to reach the zenith of his power and bring his long-dreamed reforms to the Liang Dynasty, reforms that would play a big part in the young emperor’s eventual posthumous name.

Then October came around, only three months after the death of Emperor Anwu. Emperor Wen was starting to feel like he was getting the hang of this emperor business when news came that Zhang Dezong had died at the age of fifty from natural cause. Just like Emperor Anwu, a malaise was followed by a decline of health and the man’s eventual death. And now Emperor Wen’s loyal supporter in the military was no longer here to protect his liege. This was certainly a problem, as Emperor Wen did not receive the same respect from the generals that Emperor Anwu earned through his decades of conquest. And never mind the problem of not having a Grand Commandant to follow his orders. The worst-case scenario would be a violent and angry general who might brutally weight around his power. Then Xu Chu arrived two days later at the city gates.

Xu Chu came back to Chang’an with a furious attitude, still sour at the way he had been fired by Emperor Anwu. He had been summoned back to help with the campaign, which he felt was about damn time. But now he entered Chang’an just as the court was racing to find someone to take over the war for Anping Commandery, as Zhang Dezong was dead and Xu Shu was on his way back to the Imperial Capital to serve as Minister of Justice. And when people saw Xu Chu, they became convinced that he was the solution to this problem. Xu Chu had served as Grand Commandant before. Surely, he would prove a match for Zhao Yun and end this war in victory. Xu Chu, hearing this, was quick to agree that he was the best general in the history of China.

During his first court audience since returning to Chang’an, Xu Chu bluntly came forward and demanded that he be reappointed Grand Commandant of the Liang military. Wary of this old brute, Emperor Wen casually tried to push the issue aside, but Xu Chu insisted, saying that “Your Imperial Majesty is just a brat! Brat should listen to their elders! I can win the war for the Son of Heaven! So I must be appointed now!” In the end, Xu Chu had to be removed by force from the audience, a difficult task that required multiple guards. While some argued that this was an insult to court decorum, Emperor Wen did not have the spine to punish such an esteemed general for his actions.

But then at the following audience Xu Chu came again, demanding that he be made Grand Commandant. His angry demeanor kept hindering the affairs of the state. Now Emperor Wen was starting to be scared of this tall and bulky general, who even in his old age looked strong enough to crush the monarch’s head between his hands. It became worse when Xu Chu tried to force his way into the Imperial Palace to push the issue upon the Emperor. Emperor Wen actually saw the guards trying to block the entrance as Xu Chu attempted to push through. Had Xu Chu been carrying weapons in the court, Emperor Wen could have accused him of breaching the rules of the palace and rid himself of Xu Chu. But either out of wisdom or arrogance (surely the later), Xu Chu had elected to come in simple clothes to force his case. Because of this, he was able to stand in the courtyard as guards spent the night trying to restrain him. This event spooked the Emperor so much that at the next court audience, he shrieked out of panic when he saw Xu Chu entering. The general didn’t have to say a word this time, as Emperor Wen granted his request the second Xu Chu took a step in his direction.

But the second Xu Chu was out of Chang’an, Emperor Wen began to work on a plan to undermine the authority of his new Grand Commandant. Another general sent especially by him would be able to share in the glory of the victory against Zhao Yun. The perfect man for the job seemed to be Feng Desi, the young Administrator of Yuzhang Commandery. Appointed under Emperor Anwu, Feng Desi was loyal to the Yao Imperial Clan and saw himself as its best general. Sadly for Emperor Wen, the man would prove a terrible choice. While he believed himself the best, unlike Xu Chu these assumptions were far from the truth. He was also quite the squeamish man, proving unwilling to be any opposition to the brutish Xu Chu. So much for providing a rival to the Grand Commandant…

Toward the end of the year, Emperor Wen started to become suspicious of his Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo. The old man had been a follower of his father for more than a decade, yet in the last years of the Han he was pushed aside and removed from the inner circle. Surely there must have been a reason for this removal. Surely, the man had something to hide, something that Emperor Wen could hopefully use to keep him under control or arrest him. It didn’t help that the older official didn’t like being ordered around by the young emperor, with Emperor Wen never forcing the issue to avoid a confrontation. But if he found something, then he might be able to assert some control over this man.

My late February 226, news came to Chang’an that the war was over. Xu Chu had succeeded in his task and annexed Anping Commandery in the Liang Dynasty. Emperor Wen could only sigh in relief as his father’s last campaign ended in a complete victory. But this left the question of what to do with Zhao Yun, who was now forced to submit to Liang authority. Many wanted him to be put to death, but Emperor Wen quickly allowed the general to stay as the administrator of Anping. Publicly, he wanted to show his great clemency and prove that he was welcoming of great men, making sure to give them a place within the Liang Dynasty. Privately, he hoped that eventually Zhao Yun could become a threat to Xu Chu, a threat that could then be exploited. So Emperor Wen spared Zhao Yun, a decision that would come bite him back, hard.

But this joyful triumph was quickly unsettled by Xu Chu’s return to Chang’an in March. He was well received at court and welcomed for his accomplishments, with Emperor Wen making sure to praise the general as much as possible (though few noticed that most of it was sarcasm). But Xu Chu then started to insist that he was the greatest general of the Liang and needed more powers to protect the dynasty. Xu Chu’s advisors had told him that he should ask for the right to lead a potential regency should this ever be needed, and Xu Chu did exactly that. It wasn’t like there was no precedent, as the later Han had many powerful generals acting as the regents for weak or young emperors, though most of these men got their power from being related to the then empresses.

Fearing that he had a wannabe Dong Zhuo in the making (or worse, his own father 2.0), Emperor Wen tried to weasel himself out of this by saying that this interesting proposal would need to be considered in details. But Xu Chu didn’t want to hear this. He wanted this position, and was willing to outright bully the Emperor to get it. As had happened before, Emperor Wen was too scared of Xu Chu to oppose him in person, quickly agreeing to the demand in order to get rid of him. Xu Chu left quite satisfied, having accumulated even more power than he had under Emperor Anwu. Emperor Wen was also aware of this fact, which is why he desperately needed to find a way to hinder the general’s rise.

Stressed by the current affairs of the court, his inability to control his officials and the sheer weight of his duties, Emperor Wen started to eat away his stress. This resulted in the Emperor slowly but surely gaining weight. His entourage started to notice, with the Empress and the Empress Dowager deciding to do something before it got out of hands. At the end of March 226, they came to Emperor Wen and reminded him that he needed to stay strong, that he needed to be there for the people, for the dynasty. Empress Xu proved especially successful in reaching her husband, never overstepping her bounds and patiently reminding him of his duties. And he realized that they were right. It hadn’t been a year since he took over the throne, yet he was already caving under the pressure. His father would never have been like this. How could he face Emperor Anwu after his death if he was unable to keep his cool? Thanks to this intervention, he quickly dropped this habit of stress eating, returning instead to ploting against his officials to secure his position. After all, this was the only thing he was good at.

 

[Zamarak500]

226: LUCK AND SUCCESS​

A year had been spent rebuilding the dynasty, expanding its borders and its influence. But it was not enough. It seemed that nothing was enough for those wayward officials. Emperor Cheng could only sigh in annoyance once he learned of Chen Tiao’s betrayal. He would have hoped that his former Grand Commandant would have agreed to simply surrender his titles and take an early retirement, to accept that his services were no longer needed in the Chen, to accept that someone had to be blamed. But no, the old general revolted. Even worse, he brought others under his banner, all willing to fight to take away the dynasty that HE HAD FOUNDED! Emperor Cheng could only look at disgust when the messengers showed up at his bedside. Chen Tiao had thought it decent to ask the Emperor to surrender his throne, an error that would cost the life of the poor messenger sent to Chenguo.

But this rebellion was certainly different, as many of these rebels had proven to be loyal to the Dynasty during the previous civil war. And the Emperor couldn’t help but notice that at the end of the day, their goal was to replace him with his son Xiao Tung. The relationship between father and son had already been deteriorating. This revolt only put more distance between the two, especially as Xiao Tung expressed a willingness for the imperial government to negotiate with the rebels. How else was Emperor Cheng supposed to interpret this other than a sign that his son was supportive of their cause. After all, he had been sympathetic of Xiao Cang’s abdication plot before, so why would he not support this rebellion? And the truth was that Xiao Tung was quite torn over the issue. While he did have personal goals that aligned more with the rebels than with his father, he was too humble to actively support an armed uprising in his name against the Emperor.

Fearful that more supporters of the Crown Prince might join the revolt, Emperor Cheng moved to regain some of their support by promoting one of them as an Imperial Councilor. To do this, he fired the insane and just downright strange Yi Shing, who had been an advisor of the Emperor since the end of 224. To replace him, Emperor Cheng brought in Ding Gongsi, who had previously been fired as Chancellor of the Chen Dynasty due to his lack of political skills and his links to the Crown Prince. Well now he was back in, with orders to lead troops against the rebels (a role which fitted him far better than that of Chancellor). Ding Gongsi was honestly considering joining the rebels when he was appointed, and only agreed to side with the Emperor when the Crown Prince told him that he had no intention of turning traitor against his own father. Fearful that the rebels might then decide to pick another prince as their imperial candidate, Ding Gongsi agreed to fight for Emperor Cheng, hoping to secure himself a powerful position for the foreseeable future.

Surprisingly, he also appointed his grandson Xiao Gong as the new Magistrate of Qu, which was quite close to the rebel territories in Xu Province. This was done both to separate Xiao Tung and his son and to provide his grandson with an opportunity to improve and gain experience. Of course, some where worried to see Xiao Gong be sent so close to the rebels. It was quite risky for him, and the rebels might also decide to grab him and declare him their new emperor. But both Emperor Cheng and Xiao Tung supported the appointment, as he also believed that his son needed to gain experience in administration. It helped that this put Xiao Gong under Hu Zan, someone that Xiao Tung could trust to protect his son if needed.

Talking of Hu Zan, this revolt put him in quite the bind. Having recently been fired as Grand Commandant and replaced by Ba Daiping, he now sought a way to regain the position by all means, which meant showing Emperor Cheng that he was the most loyal and competent subordinate available. Even the promotion to Marquis of Daiping had not satisfied his ambitions. But the issue was that his second son (and oldest living one) Hu Weizhi was fighting with the rebels, an embarrassing prospect for the general. The fact that Hu Weizhi was married to Xiao Qiaoyun, the oldest child of Crown Prince Tung, made it abundantly clear that he joined the revolt to see his father-in-law on the throne. And with Hu Zan’s close bond with the Crown Prince being well known at court, it was easy for the likes of Ren Duo to throw doubts about his loyalty. He might have even been arrested, had it not been for various generals standing up for Hu Zan. Even so, it was clear that Hu Zan’s situation was precarious at best, and he now had to thread a very fine line while he served Emperor Cheng.

Already, news was coming that the rebels had achieved a victory against imperial troops. As eight hundred soldiers were making their way to assemble with their fellow Chen troops, they were ambushed by one of Chen Tiao’s subordinates. It proved an overwhelming success for the rebels, who killed around 100 men and forced the Chen troops to retreat toward the position of general Ding Zhiguo. The one-eyed general had been put back in service after spending most of the last civil war in a jail cell, having been captured by his nephew in the first engagement of the conflict. He now hoped to clean himself of this embarrassing failure.

But Emperor Cheng’s son-in-law would once again fumble due to circumstances outside of his control. Bolstered by their recent victory, the rebels pursued the defeated Chen troops, leading them to Ding Zhiguo’s position. This forced a battle that the general was not ready for. While Ding Gongsi managed to arrive to reinforce the endangered Chen army, the rebels were also able to send more troops, eventually massing more than three times what the Chen loyalists had at their disposal. Once again, Ding Zhiguo was defeated in the first two months of the war, though this time he managed to escape capture. Still, not a great start for the Chen army. Instead, Ding Gongsi was the one to suffer that faith, spending the rest of the war as a prisoner of Chen Tiao.

By that time, news of the defeat of Zhao Yun reached Chenguo. Even with their new inexperienced emperor, it seemed that the Liang Dynasty had still managed to win its campaign against Anping Commandery. This was certainly troubling news that necessitated a response. But considering the current civil war, Emperor Cheng simply chose to replace the Magistrate of Yi, who was the closest to the newly conquered territories. Shih Zhengyi, the current magistrate, was not happy to be removed from office. After all, he had submitted himself to the Chen because he feared losing control of Yi if conquered by the Liang. Yet now he was getting the exact same result anyway.

While Ding Zhiguo’s defeat had been problematic, Emperor Cheng could still deploy powerful armies to face his enemies. He ordered his Grand Commandant Ba Daiping to take command of the first and most powerful, with the goal of driving the rebels out of the loyalist territories. Accompanying Ba Daiping on this campaign was the 29 years old Liu Bojing, another scion of the Han who had happily submitted to the new Chen Dynasty. Liu Bojing was the grandson of Liu He, the cousin of Liu Siyuan who was executed during the independence war of Yang Province three decades ago. He had proven loyal and without reproach, which is why Emperor Cheng had made him the Marquis of Xiacai, a clear indication that the Emperor had great plans for Liu Bojing. If things went well, this could prove the start of a great career for him under Emperor Cheng.

Hu Zan was also given command of an army, a decision that was clearly a test for the general. He knew that he was in a tight spot and needed to succeed all while never doing anything that might be misinterpreted as duplicitous. But then Xiao Tung asked to accompany the general on campaign, not seeing the web of traps and intrigues around Hu Zan. He wanted to learn from the man that had been something of a military mentor for the Crown Prince, and he still felt like he had a lot to learn before becoming the general he always wanted to be. Of course, this demand was problematic to Emperor Cheng. The rebels were literally fighting to put his son on the throne, so allowing him to leave might allow Xiao Tung to join them. And letting him to join with Hu Zan? This sounded like a perfect recipe for treason. Honestly, the Emperor had little reasons to let his son go.

But the Excellency of the Masses Ren Duo, who had risen to be the most influential official at court, had another take on this. Yes, keeping the Crown Prince close to avoid his betrayal might sound good, but it might just lead to a coup from the inside. Leaving Xiao Tung controlled and a virtual prisoner would lead to resentment, which would certainly turn him into an enemy of his father. But if they instead agreed to his demands under the guise of a test of loyalty, then he would more than likely try to prove his worth in service of Emperor Cheng. The mixture of humility and ambition would surely push the Crown Prince toward serving his father instead of fighting him. That is, if given the opportunity. After much considerations, Emperor Cheng agreed with his closest advisor, allowing his son to accompany Hu Zan on campaign.

This would prove to be a great decision, as the army of Hu Zan and Xiao Tung would allow the Chen army to finally gain a victory under their belt, when Hu Zan crushed a rebel army at Lichengji in early May. While Hu Zan had far more troops, he was still able to play the propaganda of this victory as a turning point in the war, presenting it as the moment that the Chen regained the initiative. And this was no lie either. The victory at Lichengji allowed Ba Daiping and his officers to dominate the rebels for the whole of June, gaining a clear advantage on the forces of Chen Tiao. It now seemed that the early defeats were a thing of the past, with most of the loyal officers convinced that this revolt could be dealt with by the end of the year (though they also agreed that the Emperor could end it far sooner if he just negotiated).

And this was when Emperor Cheng decided that it was about time that he brought some changes to his inner circle once more. This time he decided that his Excellency of Works was simply too incompetent. Really, he had just appointed Bei Mea as a reward and never intended to keep him for too long. Yet the revolt had made it abundantly clear that he needed to at least appoint competent official if he wanted to avoid criticism of his heavy-handed administration. For this, he turned to his fourth son Xiao Dang, the Prince of Lu. Xiao Dang had spent the previous civil war in Chenguo awaiting the end of the war, after which he was granted Lu Commandery as his domain to administrate. But since then, he had been pestering his father on how to run the construction works planned throughout the dynasty, which he believed were mishandled to a laughable level. Both annoyed and curious if his son was all talk or not, Emperor Cheng decided to give Xiao Dang the opportunity to prove his worth by making him Excellency of Works.

By the end of July, Emperor Cheng received messengers claiming to be sent by another warlord’s whose territories straddled between the Chen and the Liang. This one was Wen Yaozu, Magistrate of Mao. Like Shih Zhengyi before him, Wen Yaozu had inherited his territory from his father, though he had only inherited it two years ago. While he saw how his neighbor had lost his territories in the span of a year, Wen Yaozu still believed that submitting to the Chen was a preferable outcome. And if he was removed from office, then he would just move to Chenguo and try his luck at court. Emperor Cheng was quick to send a positive reply, always willing to gain new subordinates. With the annexation of Mao County, only three Chinese warlords remained outside of the two Imperial Dynasties: the remains of the Cao Army under Cao Mang’s regent, which stood between the two dynasties, Wang Li of Jibei, who was stuck in the middle of the Liang Dynasty, and Jiang Qinming of Youbeiping, a tributary of Budugen the Great who adopted the barbarian faith and customs. Which meant that war between the two dynasties was becoming more likely by the day.

In the end, it was decided that the many Chen armies would be combined in one unstoppable force that would outmatch anything that the rebels could send at them. Of course, Hu Zan would have wished to take command of this massive army in a heroic show of triumph. But his situation was still precarious at court, and the fact was that Ba Daiping was the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Army. Sadly, this grand army did not have the effect that anyone had hoped. Chen Tiao was a great general, smart enough not to run head first into a fight he couldn’t win. He instead forced the Chen army into a series of demoralizing sieges that he hoped would hinder morale and turn some against the Emperor. And it worked, as by the end of August many generals and officials were starting to plot against Emperor Cheng.

Still, the Chen army was at least able to force one battle against the rebels in September, encircling the key city of Gaiteng and thus forcing Chen Tiao to launch a rescue. It was key for the rebels to keep control of this important city, which was situated in one of their coastal commanderies. Of course, Ba Daiping and Hu Zan had ample time to prepare for a confrontation, which they hoped would be a decisive victory for the Chen and end this civil war. But the skills of Chen Tiao and the hesitation of some officers to fight their comrades (with who they essentially agreed) allowed the rebels to cause far more damage than anticipated. In fact, the loyalists took more casualties than the rebels, despite having almost twice the number of troops. This crippled the planned offensive, forcing the Chen troops to retreat and prepare to reorganize for the coming month of October. And all the while, blames and grumbles of discontent were whispered against Emperor Cheng, who many saw as the cause of all this mess.

_______________________________________

The prince was pacing through the corridors of the Imperial Palace. He was nervous, uncertain, and on multiple occasions he wondered if he should not simply turn back and abandon his stupid idea. After all, it would be so easy, so simple, so… safe. But it wouldn’t be safe, not really. His father would probably find out what he had been planning, and then who knew what that monster might do to him. He still remembered how the Emperor had murdered his wife in front of his eyes, or how he had exiled Xiao Cang. Xiao Hanhe feared both of these punishments. In order to avoid them, he would have to do something he always dreaded: confront his father head on.

He could see that his father had become a threat to the Dynasty’s survival. Everyone could see it. This was why the Chen Dynasty was facing it’s second civil war since it was created six years ago, after all. Yet Xiao Tung was away campaigning for their father, Xiao Bin was too similar to their father to do anything and Xiao Dang was stubbornly focused on his duties as Excellency of Works. So the responsibility to act fell on him. Unsurprising, considering that he was the best of them. But still, he was getting stomach cramps just at the thought of facing his father.

He had actually confided about his plans to his wife. Lu Xiaoji… Even now that she stopped caring about her appearance, he still enjoyed her presence and her support. Even after the political advantages of this union had died with the Lu Clan’s control over Yang Province, he had kept his loveable wife. She was such a great listener, always ready to let him unload his worries on her. Of course, it helped that she was completely deaf, and so simply nodded without a single understanding of what her husband was talking about. Which is why he told her his plans, knowing that she could never repeat them anyway. What a great wife he had.

He made his way to the court hall, where court session was usually held, only to realize his mistake. His father barely frequented this room due to his gout, leaving the duties of handling court to his Chancellor of his Excellency of the Masses. If you wanted to meet with the Emperor, you needed a private audience next to his bed. He knew this, yet he had hoped that he could meet his father there. Because if he had to go to his father’s room, there was a high chance that he would run into… him. And his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the official waiting at the entrance of the room, talking to some of the servants. Ren Duo simply turned, his expression simply reflection his usual composure.

“Prince Hanhe.” he articulated in a cold tone. “To what do I owe the honor?”

Ren Duo, the Excellency of the Masses. Xiao Hanhe did his best not to frown at the sight of the man. Like pretty much everyone in Chenguo, he despised the influence that this man held on the court, especially the way he was limiting access to the Emperor. Anyone outside of the Crown Prince had to pass through him in order to get a meeting with Emperor Cheng, including the other princes or the high-ranking officials. Even Xiao Hanhe couldn’t say if this was Ren Duo’s design or if the Emperor was the one who decided to limit the access to his person. Whatever the reason, this had made Ren Duo extremely powerful, and extremely despised. And as always, Xiao Hanhe didn’t have the will to stand up for himself, allowing the man to walk all over him and block him access to his father. It was only after he betroth his oldest daughter to Ren Duo’s son that he gained more freedom of movement.

“I am sure that his Excellency must be aware.” Xiao Hanhe replied while avoiding his gaze. “But I am to meet with the Emperor for lunch.”

Ren Duo approached him, his inquisitive eyes trying to sound Xiao Hanhe’s soul with his piercing gaze. The Prince did his best to avoid the eyes, his pulse rapidly speeding and his face growing livid.

“You are sweating, your Highness.” Ren Duo noted. “Is there… something wrong?”

There was no care in this question, no worries for him. This was a barely hidden interrogation, a way to gain access to the reason of this meeting. Xiao Hanhe tried to smile and divert the attention of the Excellency of the Masses, but it was growing harder and harder to avoid answering the question.

“Your Excellency,” spoke a maid behind them. “The Son of Heaven is getting restless and asked why his son is late. His Radiant Highness seems quite hungry.”

Ren Duo’s eyes darted to the maid for a second before turning back toward the Prince. After what seemed like an eternity, the man finally stepped back with a sigh of annoyance.

“Have a good meal, your Highness.” he scoffed. “I hope that our friendship is such that you can tell me how productive your meal has been afterward.”

“O-Only if the Emperor wishes so.” Xiao Hanhe retorted with a weak smile.

He didn’t wait for a response, darting right through the door and making his way toward the imperial bedchamber. But his rapid advance came to a quick stop when he saw his father, laying in his bed with pillows behind his back to allow him to sit. Even as he saw this old man groaning due to his gout, all he could think about was the cold, cruel monster who sat silently as he had his wife strangled in front of his children. He still remembered Xiao Tung crying, begging his father to stop. He could still hear the last gasp of air coming from Lady Xia’s throat. And he perfectly remembered the dark sight of his father, perfectly calm as he sat at the table, never flinching as his wife died on his orders.

“Hanhe?” the Emperor asked.

“Y-Yes, father.” he mumbled, recovering from his momentary stupor.

“About t-t-time.” Emperor Cheng grunted. “What t-t-took so l-long?”

“Duties for the Chen cannot wait.” Xiao Hanhe answered in a jovial tone to hide his nervousness.

The Emperor simply grumbled something as an answer, not even turning his head to look at his son. His mind was on some documents laid all over his bed. As always, his father took his duties seriously. Xiao Hanhe quickly approached and fell to his knees right next to the bed. He stayed there in silence, too afraid of his father’s reaction if he distracted him from his work.

“Any n-news from your b-br-brother?” Emperor Cheng eventually asked, turning his head to judge his son’s answer.

Brother? Xiao Hanhe made a quick recap in his head. Obviously, his father was no inquiring about Xiao Cang. Xiao Dang spent most of his time in Chenguo these days, so this wasn’t about him either. Xiao Bin was keeping a correspondence with their father, and he was currently visiting the Imperial Capital. Which only left the Crown Prince. And now Xiao Hanhe silently panicked as he wondered what answer to give. Would his father be angrier if Xiao Tung remained silent or if he sent letters back to the Capital?

“The Crown Prince has sent news of his successes on the battlefield.” Xiao Hanhe hesitantly informed his father. “Things are going great for the Chen.”

His father grunted, making it unclear if he was unhappy or satisfied with the answer. At least when he stuttered it was possible to get his feeling. A grumbling sound coming from the Emperor stomach seemed to indicate that he was simply hungry.

“Where is that m-meal?” the Emperor asked in frustration.

Taking the cue, Xiao Hanhe stood up and whistled. Soon enough, a servant entered with a meal and a cup of tea for the Emperor. The prince and the servant shared a quick nod as the meal was given to Emperor Cheng. The Emperor quickly grabbed the chopsticks and took a bite, having clearly been waiting for that meal for a long time.

“Damn Xiao T-Tung.” Emperor Cheng mumbled through two bites.

“My brother the Crown Prince certainly needs to…hum…”

He was too nervous to think of something to answer. He just watched his father with sweat running down his face.

“Needs t-to w-what?” the Emperor demanded as he gulped his tea. “Just s-spit it o-o-o…”

The Emperor didn’t finish his sentence as his hands moved toward his throat, which was producing a panicked gargling sound. Emperor Cheng was panicked, seeking hair as he moved erratically. He tried to reach for Xiao Hanhe, but as his hand moved toward him, the prince balked in fear, stepping away from his father. The Emperor fell of the bed in trying to reach for his son, which only resulted in the pain from his gout paralyzing him. Xiao Hanhe was livid as his father’s eyes fell upon him, unsure what this intense gaze meant, what his father’s thoughts were in these last moments. Then the Emperor stopped trying to grasp for air and he just laid there, half of his body still on the bed while the rest laid on the ground.

Xiao Hanhe looked at the corpse, unsure if it was true. When after a full minute his father didn’t move or make a sound, he fell to the ground in relief. It was like all the tension that he had carried his whole life just dissipated in an instant. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing nervously.

“I-I’m free. I’m free. I’m finally free!” he rejoiced.

He had done it. Somehow, his plan had succeeded, and his tyrannical father was no more. Everything had gone according to plan. Well, not everything. There was still one step he needed to carry out. He quickly stood up, trying his best to regain his composure. He considered tidying himself, but considering his usual lack of care for his appearance decided against it, fearful that it might tip off Ren Duo. He then gave one final look at the corpse laying in front of him. He was lording over this cruel man, alive and standing atop of him. It felt so good, so deserved.

“HELP!” he screamed, trying his best to hide his happiness. “COME QUICK! THE EMPEROR! HE NEEDS HELP!”

________________________________________________________________

So that’s it for Xiao Ru/Emperor Cheng (163-226)! Died at 63 after 6 years as emperor. I’d like to thank @Ixarys for this fantastic character, who proved to be a surprisingly successful character. While he had many, many flaws and made multiple bad decisions that blew up in his face, he was always smart enough, lucky enough of surrounded with people competent enough to not only get him out of trouble, but expand his power. And just like that, he managed to become the dark horse of this story, surviving and thriving where the likes of Jiang Xian, Liu Siyuan, Xuan Su and Yang Weili failed. Though in the end, his luck ran out, and his own son brought a dark end to his tyrannical reign.

As I wrote this, I also noticed a lot of similarities between Xiao Ru and his dynastic rival Yao Shuren. Even as the two never met, or never really interacted for that matter, they have a lot of things in common. Of course, they have some big differences, but I found these similarities fun to compile.

• Both left their original starting point due to a murder (Xiao Ru because he killed Zhuge Gui, and Yao Shuren because Dong Zhuo was killed).
• Both then became important officials under their new liege before becoming warlords (Xiao Ru was a key advisor of the Prince of Chen before Yu Province collapsed, and Yao Shuren was Guo Si’s right-hand man before succeeding him).
• Both stayed independent warlords from that point on.
• Both had the women in their lives humiliating them through affairs (Xiao Ru with his concubines cheating on him, and Yao Shuren first with his daughter Yao Ki’s affair with Hu Cheer and then the scandal of his Empress Cheng).
• Both were ruthless men who never limited themselves with morality (though Xiao Ru was more the cruel and arrogant type, while Yao Shuren was the ruthless yet efficient type)
• They both disliked their eldest son (Xiao Ru still kept Xiao Tung as his heir despite their differences, while Yao Shuren replaced Yao Xiu with his younger brother).
• They both made aon fter founding their dynasties (Xiao Ru annexed Qing Province, and Yao Shuren conquered Yang Province).
• They both reigned for only 6 years (Xiao Ru 220-226, and Yao Shuren 219-225).

 

[Zamarak500]

226-227: STRONGMEN AND A WEAK EMPEROR​

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Zamarak500]

226-227: A FRESH START​

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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