Chapter 289: Overlooking Qi and Lu
News from Donghai shocked the entire city of Luoyang.
As more and more messages arrived, the truth finally became somewhat clearer. Prince Ying had been sent away very early on, and rumors at the time said he had disappeared together with the Holy Strategist. Everyone thought he was hidden somewhere in Luoyang, and even if he had gone to Donghai, without Shang-guan Sheng’s assistance, a mere child could not stir up much trouble, so the pursuit had not been very intense.
But Shang-guan Sheng was actually still alive!
Cui Hong flew into a rage. He had been the one responsible for pursuing the rebel army back then, and immediately summoned the two generals who had shot and beheaded the man. The two were completely bewildered, kneeling on the ground and swearing to heaven, claiming they had indeed killed Shang-guan Sheng at the time. They had even captured several of Shang-guan Sheng’s guards who could testify.
Cui Hong personally conducted the interrogation, including soldiers and prisoners who had witnessed Shang-guan Sheng’s death. Each person was questioned separately. After a full two hours, he came to report the situation to the Emperor.
“The Shang-guan Sheng in Donghai is definitely an impostor, though Prince Ying might be real,” Cui Hong said with great confidence.
“Never mind whether Shang-guan Sheng and Prince Ying are real or fake – where did the rebel army in Donghai come from?” This was what Han Ruzi was most concerned about.
The reports stated that the rebel army in Donghai was about to attack the neighboring Qi region, which meant they must have assembled a military force. But the Palace Guard rebels and the Black Turban Army had already been defeated outside Ao Granary – they were either dead, wounded, or captured, with very few escapees. Even traveling without rest for these past few days, they could barely have reached the Donghai, and rebuilding an army would be absolutely impossible.
Donghai must have had a fully formed army waiting there.
“Qi’s army was defeated long ago, and the prisoners were all exiled to the frontier. The surrounding fiefdoms and prefectures have very few garrison troops – altogether no more than several thousand men. How could there be… how could there be…” Cui Hong was even more puzzled. He had been the one who led troops to pacify the Qi rebellion, and to prevent future troubles, he had specifically followed the Empress Dowager’s orders to transfer most of the military forces from the eastern regions. “Your Majesty, time is of the essence. Please allow me to immediately lead troops to the princedoms of Donghai and Qi to investigate the situation. We need not take too many soldiers – five thousand will suffice.” Cui Hong still did not believe there could be large numbers of rebels in the east.
Ever since learning of the rebellion in Donghai, Han Ruzi had been constantly busy, but he had not summoned his ministers for council. He understood clearly that under the current circumstances, the officials would only try to shift responsibility, arguing back and forth, and in the end he would still have to make decisions on his own.
“We have already sent Chai Yue to lead troops there.”
Cui Hong prostrated himself on the ground. Before this young Emperor, he had never felt at ease, and only when thinking of his daughter who might already be pregnant did he feel somewhat reassured.
“Your Majesty has already dispatched troops?”
“Yes, but it is still not enough. In a moment, Grand General, please convene the ministers and send more troops to support General Chai. This rebellion in the Donghai must have been prepared long in advance – we must not underestimate the enemy.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. May this subject ask – does Your Majesty still plan to personally campaign against Donghai?”
“Of course. Our proposal is to divide the army into three routes: Chai Yue as the central army, striking directly at the rebels and choosing whether to fight based on circumstances; General Fang as the right army, heading to southern Qi – he once served in Qi Kingdom and is familiar with the situation there; the Grand General and We will jointly command the left army, advancing from the north.”
Cui Hong was greatly shocked. When they had previously left the Capital to pursue the Palace Guard rebels, the Emperor had only dispatched ten thousand troops, which everyone thought was too few. Now, with the Donghai merely raising a rebel force of unknown origin, the Emperor was treating it as a major threat, actually planning to divide into three routes to attack.
Cui Hong had led troops for many years, and though he was not an undefeated famous general, he still had some ability. He reminded, “Should Your Majesty first summon the ministers for discussion?”
“The ministers are all in the Capital – the accompanying officials are only for reporting messages, there is nothing to discuss. Please, Grand General, go make arrangements immediately. The more troops for each route, the better.”
Cui Hong could not directly contradict the Emperor’s decree, so he kowtowed and withdrew.
It was already dark when the judicial official Zhang Jing came to request an audience. He had already heard the news of the rebellion in Donghai, so he was doubly careful and cautious when meeting the Emperor. “Your humble servant has narrowed the scope to the 26th alley of the 4th ward. Starting at midnight tonight, we will search house by house, and by noon tomorrow, we will surely recover the imperial seal.”
“Mm.” Han Ruzi responded coldly and waved his hand to dismiss Zhang Jing, not telling him that guards were also secretly searching for the imperial seal.
He sat alone in the tent for a while. Without ministers and generals, and without eunuchs and guards, the more urgent the situation in the realm became, the more he enjoyed this state of solitude.
“We are alone…” he murmured to himself in the dim lamplight, struggling to recall that vague and unclear scene: the aged Martial Emperor sitting alone on the throne, repeating the same phrase over and over, yet his facial expression constantly changing – sometimes with indescribable loneliness, sometimes with lofty pride, sometimes with the calm of one who had seen through worldly affairs…
Chief Overseer Liu Jie entered the tent and said softly, “Your Majesty, he is here.”
Han Ruzi nodded, indicating that the person could be brought in. No matter what, the Emperor was not truly a lonely ruler. Even if the entire court was unwilling to work for him, the Emperor was still one of the people in this world who could obtain the most help.
Qiao Wanfu, a minor clerk from Ao Granary, entered the tent and discovered that only the Emperor was inside, without even a serving eunuch. He was greatly shocked and knelt at the entrance. Already somewhat nervous, he now trembled all over.
“Come forward to speak.” Han Ruzi smiled. Qiao Wanfu was a minor clerk who was not part of the court ministers. Under normal circumstances, he would never have the opportunity to have an imperial audience in his lifetime. What made him afraid and nervous was “the Emperor,” not the young man himself.
Qiao Wanfu rose and moved forward a few steps, then immediately knelt again, maintaining a distance of seven or eight steps from the Emperor, not daring to come closer.
Han Ruzi stared at Qiao Wanfu, thinking that if someone like Wang Jian could become a renowned hero throughout the realm, perhaps there were also capable people among unremarkable minor clerks.
“You said that regardless of whether Shang-guan Sheng lives or dies, there would still be unrest in the eastern realms of Great Chu.”
“Yes, your humble servant did say that.” Qiao Wanfu’s voice trembled slightly. Sometimes being too accurate with predictions was also a sin. “But your humble servant didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
“Tell me again why you thought there would be such unrest.”
“As your humble servant said before, Qi is rich in resources…”
“No, no, keep it simple. Don’t exceed three sentences.” Han Ruzi had experienced this person’s verbosity and didn’t want to hear him start from the beginning.
“Uh…” Qiao Wanfu was stunned for a moment, carefully considering his words, and finally said, “The goods coming by boat from the regions of Qi and Lu are so numerous that the boats are pressed down to the waterline, but when they return, they are mostly empty. Therefore, your humble servant said there must be unrest.”
“Mm, you can say a few more sentences.”
“This was what I have observed from serving in Ao Granary for many years. Plus examining previous years’ records, grain and rare treasures transported from east to west are extremely numerous, but there is little to transport on the return voyage. Therefore, I concluded that the Capital needs the eastern regions, but the eastern regions don’t need the Capital as much. Among the eastern regions, Qi is the most prominent.”
“But Great Chu has been established for over one hundred and twenty years, and the princedom of Qi has only rebelled once.”
“If Your Majesty recalls national history, you will find that among the feudal lords, the Prince of Qi changes most frequently, rarely continuing for more than two generations. When a new emperor ascends the throne, as long as there is time, they will always replace him with a close brother or prince as Prince of Qi. At the very least, they will place a feudal lord nearby.”
“Like Prince Donghai.”[1] Han Ruzi suddenly understood. His father, the Graceful Emperor, had done the same thing, enfeoffing his youngest son as Prince Donghai, actually intending to use the Cui clan’s power to counter the Prince of Qi, but hadn’t had time to let Prince Donghai go to his kingdom. “No one ever told me I should do this.”
“Your humble servant dares not speculate wildly, but feels that if we wait a while, when Your Majesty has princes and it’s time to enfeoff them, there will surely be ministers who propose enfeoffing them in the east.”
Han Ruzi roughly understood. The eastern regions were relatively independent, and once their relationship with the court became cold, they might rebel. “This rebellion occurred in Donghai, and there’s an army involved. Can you guess the origin of this army?”
Qiao Wanfu replied, “The rebel army’s sources might be multiple. Your humble servant can only guess one. Since the court… came to a standstill last year, very few ships have come from the east. Hundreds of thousands of boatmen have had nothing to do for more than half a year, and I’m afraid they could easily be deceived.”
Han Ruzi was startled. “We also bear responsibility for this matter. It was We who issued the order requiring all regions to open their granaries and distribute grain to provide relief for refugees. The Capital suffered only light damage and did not need more grain transported there.”
Qiao Wanfu kowtowed. “Your humble servant spoke carelessly and deserves death ten thousand times over.”
“You were not wrong. What We want to hear is the truth.” Han Ruzi truly felt how difficult it was to govern the realm. Actions clearly done with good intentions could potentially bring about a chain of dire consequences.
“The most important reason is still that someone intends to cause trouble, exploiting Your Majesty’s benevolent policies to incite rebellion.”
“Rise.” Han Ruzi said, his impression of Qiao Wanfu greatly improved.
Qiao Wanfu kowtowed in gratitude, and after rising was no longer so nervous. He even volunteered, “Although the fiefdoms of Qi and Donghai have the convenience for rebellion, they lack the actual strength for it. Your Majesty need not worry excessively.”
“Mm, tell Us more.”
“Qi is prosperous, and its people are easily complacent. In your servant’s view, most Qi people are unwilling to migrate west. When boarding ships to go west, each wears a sorrowful expression, but when flowing east downstream, everyone is beside themselves with joy. Your humble servant therefore knows that although Qi has the heart for rebellion, it lacks grand ambitions. The officers and soldiers are homesick and not to be feared.”
Han Ruzi laughed heartily. “Listening to your words is better than reading books for ten years.”
Qiao Wanfu knelt down again, repeatedly saying “I do not dare.”
Han Ruzi had someone escort Qiao Wanfu away, then went to a nearby tent to participate in the ministers’ deliberations. Qiao Wanfu’s analysis was all “distant water,” and to save the “nearby fire” still required relying on the army. But after hearing his words, Han Ruzi was indeed more confident, and that was enough.
Grand General Cui Hong was rarely swift and decisive. But in just this short time, he had already formulated a rough plan. Military generals would lead troops, civil officials would arrange grain and supply provisions. At the latest, by tomorrow morning they could dispatch an army to go support Chai Yue. Around noon, Fang Daye on the southern route could also depart. Only the northern army required the Emperor’s decision.
“Two days from now, depart at dawn.” Han Ruzi said. The day after tomorrow at noon was when his “wager” with Ugly Wang would be decided. After resolving some matters, he could leave Luoyang.
He had to explain to the ministers why it was necessary to divide the army into three routes. “We do not believe there are so many coincidences in the world. Just as news arrived that the northern Xiongnu have intentions of moving south, rebellion broke out in Donghai. There may be a connection between the two. The central army will lure the enemy, the southern army will be the main attack force, and the northern army will guard against the Xiongnu.”
There was one reason the Emperor did not mention. He increasingly believed Yang Feng’s speculation: the court might truly have a powerful enemy that had always hidden in the shadows. Whenever it had occasionally revealed its prowess, it was overlooked. This time, it seemed to have exposed an entire head.
[1] This map shows the location of Donghai relative to the regions of Qi and Lu. Donghai means “Eastern Sea”. As mentioned before, the Capital in the story is located around Xi’an on this map in the west.
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