Taiheiki

Chapter 333 The Prince of Funan

"Of the 100,000 men who went beyond the Great Wall, only half will return!" Wei Cong remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Then this is the only way. Here's what we'll do: Lord Feng, you lead 10,000 men to garrison Chang'an as a show of support!"

"Here!"

After the military council concluded, those familiar with Wei Cong could see that the general was in low spirits, clearly frustrated by the unavoidable conservative defensive strategy. However, launching a decisive offensive against Tan Shihuai required massive amounts of grain, horses, and laborers—all of which he lacked. These resources would take a long time to accumulate, and time was Wei Cong's greatest weakness.

"Do you think coming to Luoyang was a mistake?" Wei Cong sighed and asked Huang Ping, "If we had stayed in Jiaozhou, we wouldn't have had to worry about these troublesome things at all, and we could have just focused on expanding southward!"

“That’s true, but Jiaozhou is too small for you!” Huang Ping laughed. “Luoyang is more worthy of you!”

"You sycophant!" Wei Cong laughed. "That's an exaggeration!"

"I'm just telling the truth!" Huang Ping laughed. "From the top to the bottom of Luoyang, from the one in the Western Palace to the officials, who can compare to you? Without you, the Han Dynasty would surely face a major disaster!"

“Even I can’t go beyond the Great Wall and wipe out Tanshihuai, so that the people of the border region can live in peace!” Wei Cong sighed. “Youzhou and Bingzhou are exhausted and their treasuries are empty. If we send too few troops, we can’t defeat the Xianbei. If we send too many troops, the people will suffer. We are truly in a dilemma!”

"Yes!" Huang Ping sighed. "If Hebei were crisscrossed by rivers like Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou, then grain, cloth, and salt from the south could be transported to the border regions by canal boats, which would save effort and allow for greater transport!"

"You mean the Grand Canal?" Wei Cong looked at Huang Ping in surprise.

“That’s right!” Huang Ping laughed. “Actually, it’s not that the Han Dynasty doesn’t have grain and cloth, but that the border regions don’t. Every year, millions of grains and cloths are transported from the Jianghuai region to Luoyang, which is enough to feed the army. However, transporting these grains and cloths to the border regions by carts and horses would consume too much manpower and resources. It would be much more convenient to use waterways!”

"It seems that Emperor Yang of Sui wasn't the first to want to supply the border troops by building a canal!" Wei Cong thought to himself. "However, he was indeed the first to have both the idea and the ability and courage. Unfortunately, it's already the end of the Han Empire. Undertaking such a huge project as building a canal is like forcing an elderly person to do a triathlon; it'll only wear them down to their death!"

Seeing Wei Cong remain silent and looking troubled, Huang Ping quickly said, "I know the court is currently short of manpower and resources, so building a canal would be a difficult task. But what about taking a sea route? I wonder if that's possible?"

"By sea?" Wei Cong's eyes flashed. "Why do you have this idea?"

“A few days ago, I read a letter from Jiaozhou that mentioned newly built large-scale seagoing ships (250-500 tons) that are incredibly sturdy and can sail against the wind. Each ship can carry 2,000 shi of grain. From Longbian in Jiaozhi to Panyu, it takes only fifteen days. Lighthouses are built along the way to mark the dangerous reefs, ensuring unimpeded passage. This year, the summer grain taxes from Jiuzhen, Jiaozhi, and Rinan prefectures were collected by sea using these large ships, saving 70-80% of the costs. I was thinking that Youzhou also has prefectures and counties near the sea. Why not build a port in one of their coastal locations with convenient transportation and transport grain by sea using these large ships? Wouldn't that be wonderful?”

“If I remember correctly, the first time grain was transported by sea was during the Yuan Dynasty! It seems the ancients weren't simply conservative and resistant to change, but rather that many objective conditions weren't yet available. As soon as a trend emerged in Jiaozhou, people immediately thought of transporting grain north by sea!” Wei Cong thought to himself, but he didn't immediately express his opinion. Instead, he shook his head: “Things are probably not as simple as you say. Although there wasn't a canal transport route from Jiaozhi to Panyu before, passenger and merchant ships had long been familiar with it, and there were plenty of helmsmen and boatmen who knew the sea routes and currents well. But going by sea to Youzhou…” First of all, the journey is much longer, and who knows the water conditions and navigation? The climate along the way is completely unknown. This isn't just a one- or two-time trip, but dozens or even hundreds of times. The ships are also loaded with military provisions and cloth; if something goes wrong en route, the consequences would be unimaginable! Here's what we'll do! You first select a capable person to go to Youzhou to survey the sea conditions and see if there's a suitable place to build a dock. Then, have Jiaozhou send a large ship from Panyu, taking the sea route first to Guangling, and then heading north along the sea route, passing through Xuzhou and Qingzhou, to see if we can reach Youzhou and Jizhou by sea. Then we can make other plans!

"Yes, sir!" Huang Ping hurriedly replied, secretly delighted. He knew Wei Cong was a steady and reliable person; the more determined he was to be, the less likely he was to make promises he wouldn't keep. Instead, he would conduct thorough investigations and preparations beforehand. The more preparations Wei Cong made, the stronger his resolve to undertake the project. Wei Cong's detailed instructions just now clearly indicated that he had made up his mind about the maritime transport project. If this project succeeded, Huang Ping, who had overseen the preparations, would undoubtedly become the one in charge, and the wealth and power that would follow were unimaginable.

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Jiaozhou, Panyu.

Protectorate of the Hundred Yue Commandant's Office.

"These are documents from Luoyang!" Fifth Deng said excitedly, "Please have Chief Clerk Duan examine them!"

"Hmm!" Duan Jiong nodded, took the letter, unsealed it, and read it. His beard trembled involuntarily. He handed the document to Fifth Lieutenant: "Fifth Lieutenant, the General has given the order!"

Fifth Deng hurriedly took the letter, quickly scanned it, and laughed, "The General is indeed a General! Such spirit, such vision, this vast land seems to reside in his heart. Chief Secretary Duan, if we cannot pacify the southern border this time, we should really find a place to kill ourselves!"

Duan Jiong nodded reservedly. Although Wu Deng's words were somewhat crude, he didn't find them excessive. Wei Cong's letter recounted that the court had dispatched an envoy, Ying Feng, to the Kingdom of Gou-ting to confer upon its king the title of General Who Pacifies the Barbarians, granting him imperial authority and command of military affairs in the southwest. He was ordered to lead troops southwestward along the Mekong River (also known as the Lancang River) to subdue the various barbarian tribes along its banks. Duan Jiong's orders were much simpler: just four words, "Act as you see fit!" The true meaning of Wei Cong's four words is best explained by the ancient sage Wei Xiaobao of the Deer and the Cauldron—take advantage of any opportunity, never suffer a loss, and if possible, eliminate both enemies and allies at once. Of course, with someone like Duan Jiong, you don't need to be too explicit; a subtle hint is enough for him to handle everything perfectly.

"Then I shall immediately order the officials and soldiers of each prefecture to prepare for conscription?" Fifth Deng said. The "officials and soldiers" he referred to were those who had been granted titles by Wei Cong. These titles came with corresponding land and houses as rewards. Their families usually had bows, crossbows, and armor, and they also had the military obligation to be conscripted. This was the backbone of the Jiaozhou army.

"No rush!" Duan Jiong waved his hand. "Let's wait until the Kingdom of Gou-ting makes its move first!"

"Are you wary of the Kingdom of Jucheng shrinking back?" Fifth Deng asked.

"Fifth Captain!" Duan Jiong held Wei Cong's letter to the oil lamp and lit it. "Have you ever heard the story of the crane and the clam fighting, while the fisherman benefits?" "Are you planning to wait until the Ju-ting people and those southern barbarians fight to the death before you make your move?"

"Yes! For us, it would be best if these southern barbarians and Gou-ting people fought to the death, leaving them with only their last breath, before we made our final move and easily cleaned everything up. So why should we rush to gather our soldiers? It would be best if we did nothing at all, so they can fight to the death without worry!"

"What if the townspeople take over all the land? The imperial court has already appointed the King of Gocho as the General Who Pacifies the Barbarians!"

"Then we only need to deal with one enemy, wouldn't that be better?" Duan Jiong laughed. "Are you worried that the court will blame us for this?"

"That's true!" Fifth Deng laughed. "I was so stupid!"

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The Indochina Peninsula at the end of the second century AD was undergoing a crucial period of transformation. As indigenous civilizations gradually took shape, the two ancient and great civilizations of India and China began to exert their influence. Broadly speaking, the major powers in the region included the Funan Kingdom, located in what is now the Mekong Delta and southeastern Cambodia; a series of early city-states established by the Mon people in what is now southern Myanmar and central Thailand; the Champa Kingdom (also known as Lin-yi, which was destroyed by Wei Cong); and several commercial city-states and small kingdoms located on Java, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra.

These regimes were all profoundly influenced by Indian civilization, including Sanskrit, religion, temple and sculpture art, the caste system, and Indian-style monarchy and its mandala-like decentralized political structure. Under this structure, the state consisted of numerous states of varying sizes and populations, with some degree of vassalage between them, but these relationships were loose and constantly shifting. While wars of annexation and power struggles did occur between these states, the intensity of these conflicts and their impact on social structure were far less severe than the brutal wars of conquest during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in ancient China.

In states like Funan and Meng, even if one city-state conquered another, it typically wouldn't make it part of its own. Instead, it would extort tribute, send its king's son to the defeated city-state to become king, and force it to acknowledge its vassal status before calling it a day. It's easy to imagine the predicament such a loose mandala system would face if suddenly invaded by a powerful external enemy.

The capital of Funan.

"Five hundred silver coins!" The slave trader flicked his golden-handled whip. "A pair of dwarfs, well-trained, are dedicated to bringing you pleasure!"

The throne of the King of Funan was six feet above the floor of the palace, forcing people to crane their necks to see his face—a practice considered extremely disrespectful. In this country, the king was regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu, and a commoner of low status would be punished by having his eyes gouged out for looking directly at the deity.

Of course, the current King of Funan was tired of gouging out people's eyes; it brought him no pleasure. As a king, his most important task was to enjoy life—he no longer needed to lead armies into battle, for the surrounding city-states had long recognized his noble status, determined by his lineage. The climate and exceptionally favorable land conditions meant he had no worries about famine—farmers willingly handed over half their harvest, and his granaries were overflowing with grains and oils. Merchants from all directions offered all sorts of valuable gifts and slaves. All he needed to do was sit on his high throne, looking at the various gifts.

He casually glanced at the two dwarfs on the ground. Unlike most dwarfs, these two dwarfs did not grow up to be deformed and ugly. On the contrary, they looked handsome and well-proportioned. They were wearing silk trousers, velvet vests, and collars around their necks.

"What can they do?" King Funan took a sip of juice. Behind him, two slaves were slowly waving feather fans. At his feet, more than a dozen palace maids sat or half-reclined, dressed in very little clothing, surrounding their master and occasionally letting out ingratiating laughter.

"They are a pair of gladiators who can shoot arrows, fight with lances and swords, and of course use weapons of similar size. They can also ride dogs or sheep! They will entertain your distinguished guests at your banquet!"

“A dwarf gladiator? And he wants five hundred silver coins!” The King of Funan laughed. “Are you taking me for a fool? Arrest this guy and take him to the pool!”

The palace guards stepped forward, grabbed the slave trader, and dragged him to the edge of the palace. The slave trader's cries for help became more shrill—there were several crocodiles in the pool below, and he could clearly see the sharp teeth in the giant mouths of these reptiles.

"Shadow of Vishnu, incarnation of God, please, have mercy on me!"

"Bring him back!" King Funan snapped his fingers, and the slave trader was dragged back. His face was covered in tears and snot, clearly he had just been terrified.

"I can spare your life!" King Funan laughed. "You said these two dwarfs are gladiators, well-trained?"

“Yes, I didn’t lie!” the slave trader shouted. “You can let them fight each other and see for yourself!”

"Very good!" King Funan laughed, "I will confirm it with my own eyes, but not between the two of them, but with you!"

"Me?" The slave trader was stunned.

"Yes, and you! You deal with both of them!" King Funan laughed. "If you win, it means you lied to me; they are not highly skilled gladiators. If you lose, it means you told the truth, and I will spare you and even pay you five hundred silver coins as the price for buying them!"

“But, but—” the slave trader tried to explain, but was interrupted by the King of Funan: “There are no buts. The gladiatorial combat will begin immediately. Hurry up and choose your weapons! Remember, this is a gladiatorial combat, a fight to the death. Only the victor can walk out of the arena alive, and the loser will be thrown into the pool to feed the crocodiles!”

(End of this chapter)