Taiheiki

Chapter 214 Fission
A sparse hail of arrows fell, and Qi Tie wore a disdainful smile. Clearly, the government troops were intimidated by the overwhelming force of his own army, unable to even draw their bows fully. A second volley of arrows followed immediately. He saw a soldier on the deck of a neighboring ship scream as he fell from the gunwale, struck hard by a long oar mid-air before plunging into the water—presumably dead. This was the first dead man he had seen today, but certainly not the last, Qi Tie thought to himself.

At this moment, the Moth Rebels' ships began to retaliate, arrows flying back and forth like the hiss of venomous snakes. On the east bank of the Han River, the Moth Rebel army had already submerged vast swathes of land, yellow banners fluttering above countless heads wrapped in yellow turbans, resembling a boundless ocean. At this moment, a thought flashed through Qi Tie's mind: what would the government army's generals think when they saw this vast, sea-like enemy force before them?

"Lord Feng, the enemy's strength is so great that it cannot be resisted by military tactics alone!" Zhao Yannian said in a deep voice. "You must quickly leave by boat and request reinforcements from the court to mobilize the various armies. This humble general will defend this place to the death and buy time!"

Feng Kun remained silent, his gaze fixed blankly on the enemy army below the city. From the city walls to the horizon, as far as the eye could see, yellow flags and turbans were everywhere, and even more bandits were emerging from below the horizon. How many enemy soldiers were there? Ten thousand? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? One hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? The number of bandits was beyond his comprehension. Zhao Yannian was right; with the Han army's current strength, defeating such a massive enemy force was no longer something that could be achieved through military strategy alone. The only way out was to petition Luoyang to send in more troops.

"Then I entrust everything to you, Yan Nian!" Feng Kun said, "Please hold on for half a month, no, a month, and I will definitely bring reinforcements!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Yannian bowed respectfully.

—————————————————————

Luoyang.

When the urgent military news from Xiangyang arrived, the ministers were gathered in the Southern Palace court for a court assembly. The clear announcements of the eunuchs, the accompaniment of court music, and the delicate clinking of the jade pendants at the waists of the civil officials created a solemn and magnificent symphony. In the court, the emperor sat upright on his throne. Dou Wu, dressed in a scarlet robe, placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression dignified. Opposite him, the Minister of Works, Yuan Kui, stood with his eyes lowered. The two men stood on either side of the emperor, serving the supreme ruler.

Liu Hong was already thirteen years old. Perhaps due to ample nutrition, he appeared much more mature than his peers. When the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, bringing bad news, hurried to the side of Minister Zhang Wen to report the military situation, Emperor Liu Hong was yawning boredly, waiting listlessly for the ceremony to end. Like most of his peers, the Emperor preferred the endless games in the inner palace to the tedious and cumbersome court assemblies. Moreover, being precocious, he had already grasped the pleasures of the relationship between men and women, and naturally had no interest in wasting his life here with a group of old men.

"Your Majesty, your subject Zhang Wen has something to report!"

Liu Hong was surprised to see the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat step out of the ranks. He recognized the official, as the Imperial Secretariat was separated from his palace by only a palace wall. Such a scene was uncommon; the actual venues for handling state affairs had long since become the Imperial Secretariat, the General's residence, and the place where the emperor privately summoned his trusted ministers. The court assemblies of the past had become mere ceremonial performances. Liu Hong glanced cautiously at Dou Wu, confirming that the other party had no objection, then nodded and whispered, "Granted!"

The eunuch beside the emperor hurriedly repeated the emperor's edict in a clear voice. After receiving permission, Zhang Wen said in a deep voice, "General of Chariots and Cavalry Feng Kun has reported that the rebels have launched an attack on Anlu, Xiling and other cities. The Han River has been cut off, and their army numbers nearly 200,000. We currently have too few troops to defend against them. We beg the court to send troops to our aid immediately, otherwise Jingzhou will fall and Nanyang will be in grave danger!"

A hush fell over the court; even the musicians playing in the side halls stopped. Liu Hong instinctively glanced around. Still not quite understanding the meaning of the memorial, he said in his childish voice, "Then grant the memorial and send troops to rescue them!"

"Your Majesty!" Dou Wu hurriedly replied, "This matter is not so simple. We must let the ministers discuss it first before making a decision!"

"Discuss?" Liu Hong asked, "Didn't General Feng make it very clear? The Moth Bandits number two hundred thousand. He can't hold them off, otherwise Nanyang would also be in danger. Of course, that's not acceptable!"

"Your Majesty!" Dou Wu hurriedly said, "Feng Kun already has quite a few soldiers under his command, and two hundred thousand is a bit too many?"

"Too much? Does the General mean Feng Kun lied?" the Emperor asked.

Dou Wu was speechless. The emperor's question left him momentarily at a loss for words. Lying to the emperor was a grave crime, and he certainly couldn't admit it. What if the emperor ordered Feng Kun to be brought back to Luoyang for punishment? The court currently had no one to clean up this mess. But if he denied it, then his earlier statement that Feng Kun claimed in his memorial that the bandits numbered over 200,000 would be considered deceiving the emperor. Fortunately, Yuan Wei came to his rescue: "Your Majesty, the Grand General's idea is that there is only one memorial available now, and the situation in Jingzhou is still unclear. It would be best to wait and make a decision later!"

"Alright!" Liu Hong sighed with some disappointment, "Then let the General handle it!"

"Your subject obeys!" Dou Wu breathed a sigh of relief. Although the emperor was just a young boy, he sometimes made him feel very uncomfortable. It seemed that the eunuchs in the inner palace were not entirely useless; at least they could expend the emperor's energy on less harmful things. Thinking of this, he cast a grateful glance at Yuan Wei.

After the court assembly ended, Dou Wu and Yuan Wei went to the Secretariat, which was only one street away from the court. Dou Wu asked directly, "Bo Shen, why was such a matter brought up in court?"

"Two hundred thousand bandits! The nation is in grave danger!" Zhang Wen said coldly, "How can such a momentous matter be decided by a few people in a private room?"

"What do you mean by 'two or three people secretly discussing matters in a private room'?" Dou Wu said angrily. "Major decisions are made by the central government. This is not a rule I set; it was established by Emperor Guangwu."

"General!" Yuan Wei's voice was as calm as usual: "What Bo Shen said makes some sense. After all, the Moth Bandits are so powerful that the troops of the Three Auxiliary Regions plus the forces of Jingzhou are definitely not enough. The provinces of Qing, Xu, Yu, and Yan also need to contribute. The impact is so great that it is indeed necessary to discuss this in the court!"

Dou Wu could disregard others, but he couldn't ignore Yuan Wei's advice. Moreover, Yuan Wei was right. From the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty onward, despite the growing power of imperial relatives and eunuchs in the central government, the gentry had become increasingly entrenched and difficult to control in the local prefectures and counties. If it were just mobilizing the troops from the Three Rivers and Five Schools, the Guanzhong Plain, the Three Auxiliary Regions, and the border prefectures of You, Bing, and Liang, that would be manageable. However, to mobilize the forces of the powerful inland prefectures and counties of Qing, Xu, Yu, Yan, and Ji, it was necessary to announce and discuss the matter in the imperial court, giving representatives of these local gentry in the central government a chance to speak, negotiate, and finally reach a consensus before implementation. Playing games within the small circle of the Ministry of Personnel and the General's Office could easily backfire.

“Very well!” Dou Wu nodded. “But Lord Yuan, don’t you find it a bit strange? The Moth Bandits have been in rebellion for over a year now. Although they claim to be powerful, two hundred thousand—that’s just too outrageous!”

"Military matters are of no concern to me!" Yuan Wei said. "Indeed, to determine whether something is true or false, relying solely on written correspondence is insufficient; we must send a trustworthy person to verify it." "What you say is quite right, Lord Yuan!" Dou Wu nodded. "Is there anyone suitable?"

“Why not let Minister Zhang go?” Yuan Wei said. “Bo Shen has served as governor in both Youzhou and Bingzhou, and is familiar with military affairs. He is always diligent and cautious, making him perfect for this task!”

"Bo Shen?" Dou Wu looked at Zhang Wen in surprise. The position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was the core of the Eastern Han Dynasty's central politics, and Zhang Wen's selection was the result of a long struggle among several factions. He was very dissatisfied with Zhang Wen's actions today and was thinking about how to replace him. Unexpectedly, Yuan Wei brought it up before he could even speak. Could it be that he had some other trick up his sleeve?
"Who will succeed the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?"

“The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is a high-ranking official in the government, and it is not something an old man like me can comment on. Let’s do it as before, first let the General propose it, then discuss it among the members, and finally submit it to the Emperor for a decision!” Yuan Wei said.

Seeing that Yuan Wei had no intention of interfering in the succession of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Dou Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "Very well! Let's do as Lord Yuan says!"

"Lord Yuan!" Zhang Wen stopped Yuan Wei as soon as Dou Wu left, "Thank you so much for today, Lord Yuan!"

"Why are you thanking me, Bo Shen!" Yuan Wei laughed. "I thought you would blame me for taking away your position as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!"

"I offended the Grand General in court today, so I won't be able to hold this position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat for long!" Zhang Wen said in a low voice.

"It's good that you understand this!" Yuan Wei smiled. "The Grand General is still the Grand General. No matter what kind of person he was before he took office, once he's in that position, he's a different person."

“Lord Yuan is right!” Zhang Wen said in a deep voice.

"The rebellion of the Moth Bandits is getting bigger and bigger. It would be good for you, General Feng, to go and take a look!" Yuan Wei sighed. "The country is in turmoil, and we, as subjects, have no choice but to be more attentive!"

"I will always keep Lord Yuan's teachings in mind!"

Yuan Wei nodded, turned and walked down from the Shangshutai platform. Watching Yuan Wei's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Zhang Wen stood on the Shangshutai platform for a long time before leaving.

————————————————————————————

Panyu, a manor on the outskirts of the city.

Under the mango tree in the platform garden, A-Jing ate breakfast while watching her son chase a beautiful black hunting dog with the help of his nanny. At the other end of the garden, all the original buildings had been demolished, leaving only berry-covered bushes. From there, she could overlook the entire river: boats laden with various goods and people, fishermen fishing on the riverbank, women working in the mulberry groves along the river, and the endless fields of rice on the opposite bank, ready for harvest for the last season. In this estate, A-Jing felt like a fairy living in a paradise.

If there was any drawback, it was that she had too little time to see Wei Cong. Her husband treated her as gently as before, but he was much busier. He had just returned from a southern campaign and was said to be heading north again. Since becoming the governor of Jiaozhou, his workload and the people he had to meet had increased daily. On average, he could only come to the manor every four or five days. A-Jing understood this. From the first day she met Wei Cong, she knew that this was not a man a woman could possess alone, especially since she already had his son. If she had to ask for anything, she would only wish for another child from heaven. Even a daughter would do; then she would have no regrets.

A maid brought over a plate of grilled shellfish and half a glass of wine mixed with orange juice. This attracted a few flies, but the maid quickly chased them away. A-Jing had just taken a couple of bites when she saw A-Yun enter through the door. She stood up happily: "Sister, what brings you here today?"

"I heard some news, come and tell your sister!" A-Yun sat down at the table, looked around, and lowered her voice, "Sister, has your husband come to visit you these past few days?"

“The last time was seven days ago!” Ah Jing said, “What happened? Wasn’t he very busy?”

"He's busy!" A hint of resentment appeared on A-Yun's face: "But he's busy with that vixen, sister, do you know? There's another woman by the husband's side!"

"What do you mean, 'what'?" A-Jing laughed. "Sister, you're too stingy. Which noble family in Jiaozhou sent it? My husband is a man who is destined for great things. Why would he waste his time on a woman? He'll send it away in three to five days at most."

"Sister, you don't understand, this time is different!" A-Yun said indignantly, "If I were an ordinary woman, how could I act like this? Do you know? That vixen who came this time has been inseparable from my husband for quite some time now. To be honest, given my husband's status, having a few more women wouldn't be a big deal. But you and my husband came out of hardship together, and you even bore him a son. How can you treat her like those vixens?"

A-Jing didn't speak. She didn't entirely believe A-Yun's complaints. After all, she and Wei Cong hadn't been together for just a day or two. This man always knew when to stop when it came to women. She didn't believe he would be so infatuated with a woman that he would neglect himself and his career. After thinking for a moment, she said, "How about this? Don't rush things. I'll invite him back tonight and sound him out at the dinner table before making a decision!"

When Wei Cong received A Jing's message, he was instructing Xie Bing and several apprentices on drawing structural diagrams of a new type of ship. Since he planned to launch his campaign at the end of this year and the beginning of next year, this season would be the dry season in Guangxi and Hunan, meaning the water volume and width of the Ling Canal would be limited. To ensure the smooth navigation of the supply convoy, the ships had to have a shallow draft and be adaptable to changing winds. Therefore, after consulting with local shipwrights in Panyu, Wei Cong ultimately chose a hybrid design combining Chinese and Western features: triangular fore-and-aft sails, a flat bottom, a square bow, a low hull, and a retractable rudder at the stern. Given the complexity of the technology, the blueprints naturally needed to be preserved for widespread production and technological preservation.

(End of this chapter)