Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The reign title "Yongning" was like a thin layer of gold leaf, hastily affixed to the Great Xia Dynasty, a massive ship riddled with holes and slowly sinking, in an attempt to conceal the turbulent undercurrents and cracks beneath.

The gold leaf did temporarily dazzle some people, and managed to cool down the fire that almost exploded in Shenjing. But anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was just replacing the fuse of the powder keg with a damper and more unstable one.

Six-year-old Emperor Yongning, Xiao Jie, wore the dragon robe that seemed like a theatrical costume to him. Every day, like a puppet on a string, he was carried onto the cold dragon throne and performed tedious and complicated rituals under the gaze of countless eyes that were either greedy, indifferent, or calculating.

He was too young to understand what "emperor" meant, too young to doze off during the arduous ceremonies, and when Zhao Chong read out the edicts that he couldn't understand a single word of in his old and gentle voice, he would suck his thumb blankly.

The real power was in the side hall of the Zichen Palace, in the hands of Zhao Chong, the "Regent, Grand Tutor, and Chief Minister of State Affairs".

This veteran official, who came to power through "muddying the waters" and "surprise attacks," has displayed political skills that are completely different from his previous image.

He was well-versed in the art of balance, like a tightrope walker carefully maintaining the fragile and dangerous equilibrium between the Crown Prince, the King of Qin, and the King of Jin.

He promoted a group of civil officials from the Crown Prince's faction to appease the "legitimate"; he tacitly allowed the King of Qin to place more of his cronies in the Shence Army in exchange for keeping them from causing trouble for the time being; and he "temporarily lent" the tax collection authority of several wealthy prefectures and counties near the capital to the King of Jin to satisfy his appetite.

At the same time, he used the "young emperor" card and, in the name of the emperor, he lavishly won over those officials and local forces who were originally neutral or who had lost out in the struggle for the three kings, promising them high-ranking positions and generous salaries. He quickly established a relatively independent "royalist party" (actually the Zhao party) with himself at its core in the court.

He also frequently summoned his old friends and students from his hometown in Jiangnan, placing a group of Zhao family members and Jiangnan scholars in key positions.

For a time, the imperial court in Shenjing exhibited a strange "stability".

The Crown Prince, the King of Qin, and the King of Jin checked and balanced each other, and none of them dared to easily break this delicate balance and let Zhao Chong, the "fisherman," benefit.

Zhao Chong, on the other hand, took advantage of this rare respite to consolidate his power and cultivate his supporters.

At the court assembly, the fierce arguments were no longer heard. Instead, Grand Tutor Zhao delivered his imperial edict in a melodious and rhythmic manner, and the officials respectfully echoed his words.

On the surface, it seems that everything is getting back on track.

However, this fragile balance is built on sand dunes.

Its core lies in the internal checks and balances of the "Shenjing" (Divine Capital), a high ground of power.

All of Zhao Chong's political maneuvering relied on one premise: the sanctity of imperial power. Even if this imperial power was attached to a six-year-old child, it could still nominally deter and restrain the local areas.

He forgot, or deliberately ignored, that this "sacredness" had been almost completely worn away in the past six months by the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Jin's unbridled fighting on the streets of the capital, by that vague "edict," and by that hasty and ridiculous "enthronement ceremony."

He also underestimated the astonishing energy that the ambitious local figures, who had been itching for action, would unleash once the central government's power was no longer needed to suppress them.

"A young ruler, a nation in turmoil, and powerful ministers in power—these are signs of a nation's downfall!"

The first to shout this slogan was not any powerful vassal king, but Xiao Liang, the King of Shu, who was far away in Shu and always boasted that he was a descendant of the Han imperial family and that his family had passed down poetry and books.

The Shu region was rich and its terrain was strategically important. Although King Xiao Liang of Shu lacked great talent, he was arrogant and had long held the court in contempt.

Chaos erupted in the capital, and imperial power slipped away. Zhao Chong, a mere "favored" old minister, dared to "use the young emperor to command the princes," which ignited Xiao Liang's pitiful ambition for "royal dignity" and "the virtuous should rule the land."

At the urging of several trusted advisors, in March of the first year of Yongning, Shu King Xiao Liang rallied his troops in Chengdu and issued a proclamation denouncing Zhao Chong for "deceiving the emperor, misleading the emperor, and corrupting the court." He declared that he would "lead troops north, purge the emperor's inner circle, punish the traitors, and return power to the emperor!"

The proclamation was written with great passion and fervor, portraying Zhao Chong as an unpardonable villain and himself as a loyal and virtuous prince of the royal family.

However, his so-called "100,000-strong army" was actually mostly conscripted laborers and local garrison troops, whose combat effectiveness was questionable, and the plank roads leading out of Sichuan were extremely dangerous and difficult to traverse.

Xiao Liang's "purging of the emperor's inner circle" was more like a political show and a test than a real military adventure.

But it was the King of Shu who first threw the "fuse" into the powder keg, triggering a chain reaction.

The King of Chu, who had long been alienated from the court, occupied the prosperous land of Jingxiang and commanded tens of thousands of elite troops by land and sea. He had always harbored ambitions of establishing his own independent regime.

Seeing that the King of Shu had taken the lead in making an attack, he immediately followed suit, holding a rally in Jiangling. His proclamation was even more incisive than that of the King of Shu, not only cursing Zhao Chong but also subtly pointing the finger at the "incompetent and corrupt officials in the court" who were "incompetent and foolish, which led to the rise of treacherous officials." He declared that he would "sweep away the evil atmosphere and cleanse the world." His slogans were loud and clear, but his actual actions were to take the opportunity to annex several disobedient prefectures and counties in the surrounding area and expand his territory.

Following closely behind, Prince Wu Xiao Jun, who occupied the strategic Jianghuai region and was known for his arrogance, Prince Dai Xiao Li, who controlled Hedong and had many connections with the grassland tribes, and even Prince Gui Xiao Xian, who was far away in Lingnan and far from the emperor's reach, all raised the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," issued proclamations, recruited soldiers, and attacked cities and seized territories.

Some were clearly targeting Zhao Chong and Shenjing; others took advantage of the chaos to attack political enemies and seize land; still others were simply bandits and outlaws who seized the opportunity to plunder the local area.

In no time, banners advocating "removing the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials" sprang up like mushrooms after rain across the north and south of the Yangtze River and along both banks of the Yellow River.

All factions, regardless of their strength, used the banners of "eliminating traitors for the country" and "supporting the nation" to engage in separatist activities, expansion, and plunder.

The imperial decrees (by Zhao Chong) became practically worthless once they left the capital, a hundred miles away.

Taxes and soldiers from various regions were intercepted by local princes, military governors, and prefects.

The already crumbling ruling system of the Great Xia Dynasty collapsed completely less than half a year after the "Yongning" era name was adopted, ushering in a naked jungle era where "rites, music, and military expeditions originated from the feudal lords".

Shenjing, Zichen Palace.

The young emperor Xiao Yan was still dozing on the dragon throne, his drool soaking the front of his bright yellow dragon robe.

Below the imperial steps, the regent, the crown prince, the Prince of Qin, the Prince of Jin, and the Grand Tutor Zhao, who was in charge of all government affairs, all had increasingly grim expressions.

The argument inevitably erupted again, even more intensely than when the emperor had just died.

"Zhao Chong! Look at the mess you've made! Is this what you call 'stabilizing the court'? Now look what's happened, the whole country is in rebellion! You traitor! You villain!"

Prince Xiao Ming of Jin was the most hot-tempered. He pointed at Zhao Chong's nose and cursed him, his spittle almost hitting the other man's face.

He originally hoped to expand his power under the guise of "assisting in government," but now that the regional princes have declared their independence, the "government" he was supposed to be "assisting" is almost gone!

King Xiao Rui of Qin had a grim expression; he was more concerned about military power: "Rebellions have broken out in various places, and we must immediately send troops to quell them! I request to lead the main force of the Shence Army south to first pacify Shu and Chu!"

Crown Prince Xiao Jue vehemently objected: "Absolutely not! The Shence Army is the foundation of the capital region; how can it be moved lightly? We should issue an imperial edict ordering the governors and viceroys of various regions to suppress the rebels themselves, and the court should reward them!"

"To exterminate them on their own? They are traitors themselves! Your Highness, do you still intend to deceive the people with those empty edicts?" Prince Jin sneered.

Zhao Chong sat in the specially designated seat for regent, his face ashen, but a barely perceptible glint of sinister intent flashed deep in his eyes.

The balance he had painstakingly maintained was easily shattered by the Shu King's proclamation.

He knew that a real crisis was about to begin.

These princes, if any one of them were taken individually, he might have been able to control or appease them, but now they have risen up in droves, and the law does not punish the masses. The authority of the court, or rather Zhao Chong's authority, has been swept away, and he no longer has any deterrent power.

"That's enough!"