Taiheiki

Chapter 262 Three Heads
“I’m not worried about Zhang Huan, I’m only worried about Wei Cong!” Feng Kun lowered his voice: “Uncle, do you think he might be secretly colluding with Zhang Huan, tricking me into leaving first, and then ambushing me on the way?”

"This—" Ying Feng was immediately stumped. Logically speaking, it was indeed unlikely. After all, Wei and Feng had already reached an alliance to jointly eliminate the Dou clan and support the emperor. Wei Cong had no reason to create trouble and disrupt the overall situation. But the problem was, could Wei Cong be restrained by common sense? Back then, he killed the county magistrate Wang Gui, forcing himself to abandon the army and flee. Logically speaking, that was also acting on impulse.

"Then why don't you go back by water, Lord Feng?" Ying Feng said, "Take a boat a few miles and then go ashore to take the land route. That way, he won't be able to ambush you!"

"Alright!" Feng Kun nodded. Just as Ying Feng had said, the only waterway from Xiakou to Xiangyang was the Han River, but there were many more land routes. It wouldn't be difficult for Wei Cong to set up an ambush on the Han River, but setting one on land would be incredibly difficult. He turned to board the boat, but stopped after taking two steps: "Uncle, you must be careful too. Don't fall into Wei Cong's trap!"

Day three.
Left General of the Household, Marquis Wei Cong, dressed in a scarlet Shu brocade robe, stepped into the council tent. Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhang Huan, Cavalry Commandant Yuan Shao, Military Advisor Ying Feng, and Consultant Dong Zhong all rose to greet him, and Wei Cong returned their greetings. He greeted Zhang Huan in a low voice, made a joking remark to Yuan Shao with a smile, inquired about Feng Kun's illness from Ying Feng, and asked Dong Zhong if he had been comfortable with his food and lodging these past few days. Finally, he sat in the second seat at the head of the table—the first seat was empty, reserved for Feng Kun, who was suffering from a cold and unable to rise. As General of Chariots and Cavalry, Feng Kun held the highest rank among those present. Behind Wei Cong stood two men: Nie Sheng and Meng Gaogong, like two iron towers, intimidating everyone present.

"Lord Wei's camp is well-fortified, and his armor and weapons are sturdy and sharp! I have seen them all these past few days!" Zhang Huan seemed to be in a good mood. "I have heard that your army also has a giant beast that can wear heavy armor and is impenetrable by bows and crossbows. Is that true?"

"The Grand Minister of Agriculture must be referring to elephants!" Wei Cong laughed. "I planned to present a few to the Emperor as amusement. It's a pity that elephants have a large appetite, and feeding them in winter is very expensive. Otherwise, I would have given one to the Grand Minister of Agriculture!"

“If you were to present this to the emperor, you’d probably be impeached!” Yuan Shao interjected.

"Impeachment? Impeach me for what?"

"You're bewitching the emperor, wasting national resources, and indulging in frivolous pursuits!" Yuan Shao laughed. "When I left Luoyang, General Dou was already planning to reduce the emperor's stables by two-thirds. There was no other way; there were Xianbei people in the north, bandits in the south, locust plagues, and droughts. The court was short of money! You've run into trouble at this critical juncture; if not you, who else would they impeach?"

"Alright!" Wei Cong laughed. "If that's the case, I'll just save myself the trouble of thinking about it!"

"Let's not talk about that now!" Zhang Huan raised his right hand. "Lord Wei, let's discuss the war first!"

"Oh? Aren't we going to wait for Master Feng?" Wei Cong asked.

"Let's put his matter aside for now and sort out the rest first!" Zhang Huan said. "With so many men, it costs a thousand taels of gold a day. The sooner we deal with them, the more money we'll save. The imperial court's finances are tight!"

"That's right!" Wei Cong laughed. "I almost forgot, you are still the Grand Minister of Agriculture of the imperial court! You should also lend a hand with the military expenses I incurred in suppressing the Moth Rebels this time!"

A burst of laughter came from inside the tent. Zhang Huan's position as Grand Minister of Agriculture was equivalent to the Minister of Finance in later times. Apart from managing the inner treasury, which was responsible for the emperor's private finances, he was in charge of the empire's money and grain taxes. The salaries of all officials, military expenses, and construction projects were all paid by him. Naturally, the military expenses for Wei Cong's suppression of the Moth Rebels were no exception.

“Of course!” Zhang Huan laughed. “I heard that you are very successful in making money in Jiaozhou, mining, boiling salt, and trading with Southeast Asia. You have made a lot of money. Why don’t you consider the difficulties of the court and take on three or five percent of the profits yourself?”

"Three or five percent?" Wei Cong said with a wry smile, "Lord Zhang, please don't joke. I brought more than 10,000 people from Jiaozhou, along with boats, horses, arrows, and armor. Just the journey from Panyu to Jiangling alone covered thousands of miles and cost tens of millions of coins. The construction of warships in Jiangling, the battles at Sangluozhou and Xiakou were even more costly. All of this was for the court to quell the rebellion. How can Jiaozhou bear the burden!"

"You achieved great victories at Sangluo and Xiakou, and you must have acquired a considerable amount of wealth and armor, right? The E'zhao bandits ravaged the southeast, and most of the spoils from the captured counties are probably in your hands. Just these alone amount to a lot! According to the laws of the court, spoils captured by the army cannot be privately divided! Marquis Wei, you wouldn't want the court to send someone to investigate, would you?"

"This—" Wei Cong was speechless for a moment. He smiled bitterly and said, "Well, this Minister of Agriculture, Lord Zhang, really knows how to calculate. He even wants to include the little bit of spoils that my soldiers fought so hard to obtain!"

“Isn’t this because the imperial treasury is empty!” Zhang Huan sighed. “I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Of course, Jiaozhou can’t pay for all of this. How about this, Marquis Wei, the imperial court will provide 90 million coins, and we’ll stop here?”

No one in the tent spoke. Ninety million coins seemed like a lot, but in the context of the Eastern Han Dynasty's annual budget of several billion coins, it was a small expense. For Wei Cong to quell the massive rebellion of the Moth Rebels, which had spread to the Jing and Yang provinces of the Eastern Han so quickly, to be paid only ninety million coins was clearly a low price. It was obvious that Zhang Huan was holding onto Wei Cong's exclusive control of Jiaozhou and relentlessly pressuring him for a lower price. While the others were less concerned, Ying Feng couldn't help but think to himself, "It seems fortunate that Wei Cong proposed the secret plan. Otherwise, if Zhang Huan could squeeze Wei Cong's military expenses so much after his victories, then General Feng, with his repeated defeats, would likely have to suffer greatly in terms of military spending!"

"Fine, considering that Lord Zhang is using this for the sake of the country, I'll agree. Ninety million coins, is that right?" Wei Cong shook his head, looking like a heartbroken merchant who had lost his capital. "But speaking of which, if this were to happen to you, you wouldn't change your tune, would you?"

"How could that be!" Zhang Huan was overjoyed to see Wei Cong back down. "Lord Wei, please rest assured, I will never be harsh on others while being lenient on myself when it comes to military expenses!"

"Very well!" Wei Cong nodded, then nodded to Dong Zhong, who was sitting below him, "Dong Yilang, you may announce the imperial decree!"

Just as everyone was puzzled, Dong Zhong came to the head of the table, took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, and shouted, "The Emperor has issued an edict!"

Wei Cong was the first to stand up and kneel, saying, "Your subject receives the imperial edict!" Ying Feng quickly knelt down second, and Yuan Shao also hurriedly knelt down. Only Zhang Huan stood in the middle, looking very out of place.

"Lord Zhang, be careful not to be disrespectful!" Ying Feng lowered his voice and tugged at Zhang Huan's sleeve. Zhang Huan then knelt down and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Why was there no warning beforehand?"

"Watch out, the imperial edict is being read!" Ying Feng knelt down, his face pressed to the ground. Zhang Huan had no choice but to comply. He heard Dong Zhong's voice announcing the edict, the contents of which made his face turn from red to pale. Finally, unable to contain himself, he shouted angrily, "This is a forged edict! Seize this madman!"

Dong Zhong, sitting at the head of the table, remembered his prior instructions: if anyone dared to contradict you, say nothing, do nothing, just stand there silently, with a dignified expression; the others below will handle the rest. He remained silent, standing ramrod straight, coldly staring at Zhang Huan. This further enraged Zhang Huan, who shouted, "Where are the soldiers outside the tent? Seize this madman!" Seeing that Zhang Huan was serious, Wei Cong coughed, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "No one is allowed to enter. Everyone must remain at their posts. Anyone who disobeys—" He took the sword from his waist and handed it to Meng Gaogong beside him: "Take this sword out; anyone who dares to move will be executed!"

"Yes, sir!" Meng Gaogong replied, picked up his sword, and walked out of the tent.

"Lord Wei, what do you mean by this?" Zhang Huan said angrily.

“Lord Zhang, Dong Yilang is the emperor’s own mother’s nephew. How can you punish him so easily?” Wei Cong sneered. “Besides, you haven’t even seen the edict. How do you know if it’s true or false?”

Zhang Huan wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that Wei Cong was also an ally. With his right hand on his sword, he sneered, "You, Wei Cong, have done something truly remarkable—daring to rebel! Don't forget, it's not just me here; there's also Feng Cheqi. If he finds out about this, he will never forgive you!"

“Master Feng is not in Xiakou!” Ying Feng said.

"Huh?" Zhang Huan was taken aback for a year: "Didn't he catch a cold and stay in the camp to train the soldiers?"

“Lord Feng is not ill. He left here three days ago to lead troops to Xiangyang to capture Wancheng!” Ying Feng said. “Moreover, before that, Lord Feng and Marquis Wei received the imperial edict together and swore an oath before Heaven and the gods to jointly exterminate the Dou clan and protect the emperor’s personal rule!”

"Three days ago, we went to Wancheng to receive the imperial edict, to exterminate the Dou family, and to protect the emperor?" His gaze swept over everyone in the tent, his face turning pale and then red, his heart filled with humiliation: So you all knew, but you kept it from me. Were you just watching me make a fool of myself?

"Grand Minister of Agriculture!" Wei Cong pointed to the imperial edict in Dong Zhong's hand: "It's not too late to accept the edict and form an alliance. If the three of us join forces, it won't be difficult to capture Luoyang, support the emperor, and exterminate the Dou clan. I remember that you've spent decades on the battlefield, and all you've sought is to be ennobled and appointed prime minister, so that your descendants can enjoy a privileged life. I've already discussed this with Young Master Dong. After the matter is accomplished, you and Lord Feng will both become three dukes and be ennobled as marquises with ten thousand households!"

"Wei Cong, how dare you try to lure me with money?" Zhang Huan drew his knife, staring fiercely at Wei Cong, his eyes already bloodshot.

Nie Sheng quickly stepped forward, shielding Wei Cong behind him, his sword held horizontally, coldly staring at Zhang Huan.

"I'm just telling you the truth. Whether you accept it or not is up to you!" Wei Cong said. "After all, Lord Feng has already agreed. Even if you don't agree, our strength is enough!"

Zhang Huan had regained his composure. Wei Cong's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Indeed, as Wei Cong said, among the three of them, Feng Kun held the highest rank, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and commanded the largest force. Wei Cong had fewer troops, but they were all newly trained soldiers with a powerful navy and had captured over 100,000 bandits, along with a large quantity of weapons and armor. If he wished, he could quickly increase his forces by either winning over local powerful families in Jingzhou or selecting the strongest men from the prisoners to form an army. Only Zhang Huan had the fewest troops, around 20,000, almost all of whom were newly recruited soldiers from the four provinces of Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu. Their fighting strength could not compare to the veterans under Wei Cong and Feng Kun. Under these circumstances, having Zhang Huan was certainly beneficial, but not having him was not a big deal.

“You’ve already sent Feng Kun to Wancheng, does it really matter whether I’m here or not?” Zhang Huan said coldly.

“Three people are more stable than two!” Wei Cong said. “Actually, in my opinion, it’s not difficult to take Luoyang. The difficulty lies in the subsequent division of power. With you, Grand Minister of Agriculture, Feng Gong and I will not suspect each other or attack each other. After all, that would only benefit you.”

"You're really thinking ahead!" Zhang Huan snorted coldly, sheathed his sword, and held out his right hand: "Let me see the imperial edict!"

Seeing Wei Cong nod, Dong Zhong handed the edict to a nearby attendant. Zhang Huan took the edict and read it four or five times from beginning to end, muttering to himself, "It's not fake? Has the Emperor gone mad? He's actually mobilizing foreign troops to deal with court officials? Has the Mandate of Heaven truly changed?"

"Well? Zhang Gong, have you finished reading it? Is it true or false?" Wei Cong asked.

Zhang Huan snorted coldly and handed the imperial edict back to the attendant beside him: "The south has many lakes and swamps, you are only relying on your naval forces. The Central Plains are flat and easy to traverse. The troops of Liyang are not so easy to deal with!"

"My deputy general has brought another thirty war elephants from Jiaozhou, making a total of fifty with the original ones!" Wei Cong laughed. "We also have over a thousand cavalrymen in our army, which is quite a force. Add to that Lord Feng's forces, and we'll be a force to be reckoned with, even on the Hebei Plain!"

"Looks like you've been planning this all along!" Zhang Huan said coldly. "Fine, I agree, but it's not that I'm afraid of death, I just want to see how quickly and how horribly you'll die!"

"Alright, bring us wine, food, and livestock, let's swear an oath in blood!" Wei Cong laughed.

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Inside the tent, the one who felt the most uncomfortable was undoubtedly Yuan Shao. He, who had been at the center of attention, had just experienced being completely ignored. Wei Cong hadn't even given him a chance to save face; the only people he had sworn an alliance with were Zhang Huan and Feng Kun, while everyone else was disregarded. Clearly, Wei Cong's plan didn't include giving him a chance to be on equal footing.

"Wei Cong, you're nothing but a petty man who only got to where you are today because of our Yuan family! How dare you collude with scoundrels and interfere in the conflict between the Grand General and the Emperor? You'll surely meet a gruesome end!" Yuan Shao cursed inwardly as he plotted his revenge against Wei Cong. Clearly, the key to the plan's success lay in its element of surprise; the longer it remained hidden from the Luoyang court, the greater the chance of success.

(End of this chapter)