Taiheiki

Chapter 328 New Plan

“It’s late September now, and autumn is just around the corner. Once the horses are fat, the Xianbei will be launching a major southward invasion!” Fan Yang said.

“Indeed, no wonder Qin, the military advisor, chose the two of us earlier. Later, the course schedule included so much content about the northern border regions!” Wang Kuang exclaimed. “It seems that the General had long anticipated the possibility of the Xianbei people moving south and had already made preparations in advance. He truly has great foresight!”

"Yes, we really didn't follow the wrong people! No matter what, we'd be willing to die to protect our hometown!"

At this point, both Fan Yang and Wang Kuang saw a determination to die in each other's eyes.

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West Palace, Hehuan Hall.

Wei Cong and Feng Kun walked through the long corridor, the skirts of the palace maids leading the way lightly brushing against the smooth floor. The silks worn by these beautiful women were enough to make two sets of clothes for the same woman! There were also towering platforms, walls covered in expensive and harmful paint—everywhere their eyes fell, there was enormous waste in the pursuit of appearances and majesty, while they themselves lived in an era of extremely backward productivity and extreme scarcity of resources. The empire was truly a ridiculous and laughable thing; a minority exploited the blood and sweat of the vast majority to paint themselves, striving to appear different, sacred and extraordinary, forgetting that one can deceive all for a short time, and some for a long time, but cannot deceive all forever.

"General, Grand Commandant! The Empress Dowager is waiting inside, please!" The palace maid leading the way stopped at the entrance of the side hall and gestured for him to enter. Wei Cong nodded to her and strode in, with Feng Kun following closely behind. Perhaps due to the rush, Dou Miao was dressed very simply, wearing only a black robe, her hair slightly combed into a bun and secured with a hairpin, holding a black and white cat in her arms, her face showing obvious unease.

"What happened? Why are you two coming to the palace together?"

"General Zhang has sent an urgent letter!" Wei Cong replied briefly, taking out a letter from his sleeve and handing it over: "After discussing with Lord Feng, we felt that the matter was of great importance, so we went to the palace to see Your Majesty the Empress Dowager first. We apologize for the disturbance!"

"General Zhang? Something happened to the Southern Xiongnu?" Dou Miao nervously opened the letter, and after reading only two lines, her body began to tremble: "Ren Xiao is dead? How could this be?"

"Your Majesty, there is no need to panic!" Wei Cong said in a deep voice, "According to the letter, Ren Xiao's death was accidental. He led more than a thousand men in pursuit and went too far, getting surrounded by the enemy and dying from an arrow wound. The officers and soldiers who accompanied him held their ground on high ground for two days and two nights before the Hu cavalry retreated. More than six hundred men returned, so the actual loss of troops was only a few hundred. The main problem is that this incident has a very bad impact, especially since the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu is just a child right now, and the former Chanyu's eldest son, Xiutuge, is recruiting various tribes outside the Great Wall!"

"Is the situation really that bad?" Dou Miao turned her gaze to Feng Kun: "Grand Commandant, you also served as the governor of Youbeiping Commandery before, what do you think?"

"The General is right!" Feng Kun said in a deep voice, "I have served on the frontier for many years. Barbarian vassal states like the Southern Xiongnu do not understand propriety, righteousness, or shame. The reason they submit to the court and willingly become vassals is ultimately for two reasons: first, they fear the might of the Han Dynasty and seek protection; second, they covet rewards. However, with Ren Xiao's death in battle and the defeat of the royal army, the various tribes of the Southern Xiongnu will think that the Han Dynasty is easy to bully. If this matter is not handled properly, there will be endless troubles in the future!"

"What do you mean by 'endless troubles' when you say, Feng Qing?"

Feng Kun hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I fear that the plants of Jiqiu will be planted in Wenhuang!"

Dou Miao trembled and exclaimed in surprise, "It has come to this?"

Feng Kun's earlier quote, "The plants of Jiqiu are planted in the bamboo groves of Wen," comes from the famous essay "Le Yi's Letter to King Zhao of Yan" in the *Strategies of the Warring States*. Jiqiu in the text refers to the later Ji County, the capital of the Yan state at the time. The Wen River is today's Da Wen River, the largest tributary of the Yellow River in Shandong Province, flowing through Linzi, the capital of the Qi state. The literal meaning of this phrase is "The plants of the Yan capital are planted in the bamboo groves along the Wen River," alluding to the great achievements of Le Yi's Yan army in conquering Qi. However, in this context, it implies that the northern nomadic cavalry would soon reach the area around Luoyang.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to panic!" Wei Cong said, "The Grand Commandant only said that this would be the worst-case scenario. As long as we handle it properly, it won't happen!"

"What does the General think we should do?" Dou Miao asked.

"First, we need to send someone to replace Ren Xiao, preferably someone with a good reputation in the area, and bring reinforcements to pacify the local barbarians!"

"Whom does the General intend to employ?"

“Zhang Wen!” Wei Cong said, “This man has served as the governor of a border prefecture. He is calm and brave. He was quite resourceful in resisting me at Yique. Now that he is retired, we can issue an edict to let him replace Ren Xiao as the General of the Southern Xiongnu.”

"That's excellent!" Dou Miao nodded. "And then?"

"Then there's the matter of dealing with Ren Xiao!" Wei Cong said, "Originally, he should be punished for his reckless advance and loss of troops, but punishing a defeated border general at this time would only create panic and be detrimental to the current war. I believe it's better to stabilize morale! Issue a few words of reprimand in the imperial decree, and then bestow a sum of money in the name of the palace for funeral and compensation purposes, to show the court's care. The officers and soldiers who died in battle should also be dealt with!"

"Let's do it this way!" Dou Miao covered her mouth and yawned; she was no longer as nervous as before. "Anything else?"

"General Zhang can handle the border matters on his own. It's not appropriate for us, being thousands of miles away, to say anything more!" Wei Cong said. "But I think we should start planning for the next step!"

"What's the plan?"

"Form a new army!" Wei Cong said. "The central army of this dynasty consists of only five battalions from the Three Rivers region: the Tunqi, Infantry, Yueqi, Changshui, and Shesheng battalions, plus the cavalry from the three rivers of Henan, Hedong, and Henan. They are responsible for guarding the capital Luoyang and for conquering the surrounding areas. However, after the rebellion of the E'zhai, rebellions have gradually broken out in all directions, and many disloyal individuals have been rampaging. The army of the Three Rivers and Five Battalions is insufficient. I intend to recruit the elite troops from all directions to form a new army to quell the rebellion and protect the royal capital!"

"This—" Dou Miao said with a wry smile, "This is no small matter. Where will the soldiers, horses, provisions, and weapons come from to form a new army? What will be the official name? I'm afraid it won't be that easy, will it?" "The soldiers, horses, provisions, and weapons have already been prepared!" Wei Cong laughed, "Previously, I placed the elite troops under Grand Commandant Feng, General Zhang, and myself in the Imperial Gardens around Luoyang, totaling about 30,000 men. If one in five households is selected, that's 6,000 men. In addition, I have already set up pursuit commissioners in Luoyang, Yuzhou, Bingzhou, Guanzhong, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Jingzhou, and parts of Yangzhou, who can recruit brave and skilled archers in each prefecture and county to guard the capital. Provisions and weapons are all available in the granaries. As for the official name, isn't the current situation with the Southern Xiongnu the best opportunity?"

Hearing Wei Cong's words, Dou Miao's heart stirred. She wasn't stupid; she knew the importance of controlling the army. While military power in the Northern Army was tempting, it paled in comparison to establishing her own new army. The problem was that throughout history, building a standing army, especially in the capital, was an extremely sensitive matter. Manpower, provisions, equipment, and officers were all troublesome issues; any misstep could become a reason for failure and provide ammunition for political enemies. According to Wei Cong, the resources were already prepared, and the current border troubles in the north provided a perfect excuse to build a new army. Her mind immediately began to stir.

"Grand Commandant, what do you think?" Dou Miao turned her gaze to Feng Kun.

"I believe the General's words are very appropriate!" Feng Kun would certainly not disagree with Wei Cong, not to mention that Wei Cong had discussed the new army with him before he came.

"Then let's bring it up at tomorrow's court meeting and see how things go!" Dou Miao gritted her teeth: "But let me make this clear first, the matter of the new army is too important. If there is too much opposition at the court meeting, we can't force it!"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I am not the kind of unreasonable person!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

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After leaving the West Palace, Feng Kun and Wei Cong boarded the same carriage. Feng Kun breathed a sigh of relief: "The General actually managed to get past the New Army; a bad thing turned into a good thing. I truly admire him!"

"That's just how things are in this world!" Wei Cong laughed. "A crisis is both a danger and an opportunity; it all depends on how you handle it!"

"Hehe, the General is right!" Feng Kun laughed. "Zhang Wen is gone, a new army can be formed, and the commander can recruit heroes from the prefectures and counties to pursue him. This achieves three goals at once. I have to say I'm impressed!"

“Zhang Wen is nothing special!” Wei Cong smiled. “Indeed, the north needs a capable person, so I chose him!”

"Does the General not have any of his own people in his purse? The position of Southern Xiongnu Lieutenant General is very important!" Feng Kun said.

“My men are almost all from the south and have never dealt with the barbarian cavalry. Sending them there could very well cause trouble!” Wei Cong shook his head: “Military matters are not to be taken lightly!”

"That's true!" Feng Kun nodded. "By the way, there's one more thing. Do you remember Uncle Ying Feng?"

"Him? I remember him, wasn't he your advisor, Lord Feng? What happened to him?"

“He and I have been friends for many years. After we went to Luoyang, I kept him in the Grand Commandant’s office as an official so he could help me with my plans!” Feng Kun sighed. “But a few days ago he suddenly bid me farewell, saying that time flies and he wanted to return to his hometown to retire!”

"Old?" Wei Cong laughed. "I remember he's much younger than you, isn't he? You're still in the court, why is he resigning to retire? Is he unhappy in your household? Ask him if he wants to move?"

"That's what I thought too, so I asked him if he wanted to be transferred to a post with a salary of one or two thousand shi (a unit of grain), as long as it wasn't in Yuzhou, I could arrange it! But he refused!"

"Oh? You don't even want the position of two thousand shi? Do you really want to go back to your hometown and live in seclusion?" Wei Cong smiled. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that. Let him go back and stay for six months to a year, and then you can recruit him!"

"Things aren't as simple as you make them out to be!" Feng Kun said with a wry smile. "Ying Feng is from Runan. After he resigned, I had the people in my household investigate. They found that he had been frequently exchanging letters with people from his hometown. As you know, although he is a Confucian scholar, he has devoted his life to the study of Yin and Yang, political maneuvering, and interpersonal relationships. I'm afraid that once he returns to his hometown, he will become a major threat to the court!"

"oh--!"

Wei Cong responded meaningfully. Although Feng Kun only said half of what he meant, he could still understand the gist of it. Generally speaking, scholars in the Eastern Han Dynasty mainly devoted their energy to the study of the classics, namely the six Confucian classics: the *Book of Poetry*, the *Book of Documents*, the *Book of Rites*, the *Book of Changes*, the *Book of Music*, and the *Spring and Autumn Annals*. These six classics and the scholarship that studied and interpreted them represented the orthodox ideology of the Eastern Han Dynasty and were regarded as the most prominent schools of thought at the time, similar to the Four Books and Five Classics in the later imperial examination system.

However, there were still many ways to select officials during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and entering officialdom through mastering Confucian classics was only one path. Therefore, scholars did not study Confucian classics to the point of obsession as they did in the later imperial examination era. Many scholars only had a superficial understanding of the classics, and spent most of their energy on subjects they preferred and found more practical.

For example, scholars who studied military strategy, Yin and Yang, and political maneuvering often fared much better than their counterparts who devoted their energy to Confucian classics during the chaotic late Han and Three Kingdoms period. Examples include Zhuge Liang, Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, and Jia Xu. Take Zhuge Liang, who later became the most prestigious and influential scholar, as an example. When he was young, his classmates all strived for mastery, but he only grasped the general outline. In peaceful times, Zhuge Liang would have certainly suffered as a result, since "grasping the general outline" is definitely not as effective as striving for mastery as taking an exam.

Clearly, Ying Feng belonged to the latter category. How could someone like him, brimming with political intrigue and a keen understanding of the world's situation, be content to return to his hometown and live a life of seclusion, rotting away like grass and trees? Upon hearing this, Feng Kun was the first to disbelieve it. After all, when he was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry and marched south to pacify the Wuling barbarians, this old friend hadn't offered any strategies for pacifying the barbarians, but instead instructed him to hold a large army and observe the borders, waiting for a change in the world so he could lead troops to Luoyang to wipe out the eunuchs and achieve unparalleled merit. Such a person is like a venomous snake; even lying in bed on the verge of death, he will still bite fiercely if given the chance.

As it turned out, Feng Kun did indeed raise an army and march on Luoyang, and the eunuchs were indeed wiped out. However, the one who made the greatest contribution was not Feng Kun, whom he had chosen, but a mere bandit clerk in Jiangling City. Feng Kun was quite satisfied with the result. After all, he had obtained the Three Dukes' titles and the stipend of ten thousand households, but he had received nothing in return and could only serve as a subordinate official in the Grand Commandant's office. How could he be satisfied with that?

Considering that Ying Feng was from Runan, and that the first to suffer after Wei Cong seized power was the Yuan family of Runan, a family that had held high office for four generations, and that many scholars from Yingchuan in Runan had participated in the Lugu Incident, coupled with Dou Xuan's later execution in Runan, it's fair to say that, apart from a few like the Xu brothers who managed to curry favor, the scholars of Runan were mostly decimated by Wei Cong's iron fist. It's practically obvious what Ying Feng would do if he returned to his hometown.

(End of this chapter)