Luoyang Without an Emperor (2)
The court was in chaos.
“This humble subject’s body has grown frail… I wish to return to my hometown and devote myself entirely to nurturing the next generation of scholars. I beg Your Excellency to accept my resignation.”
It had been two days since the emperor vanished. No matter how hard they tried to keep mouths shut, the news spread like wildfire through Luoyang’s scholar network, and high officials began submitting their resignations one after another.
“I do not permit it. With His Majesty the Emperor bedridden, if his ministers abandon state affairs, the very foundation of the Han Dynasty will be in peril. Cast aside such treacherous thoughts and focus on your duties.”
“My parents are unwell… I wish to return home to fulfill my filial duties. I humbly beg you to accept my resignation.”
“…Denied. Filial piety is important, but loyalty to the throne is no less so. At this moment when the dynasty stands on a precipice more dangerous than ever, your devotion to your parents is admirable, yet I ask you to serve the nation just a little longer.”
“Kill Dong Zhuo, the one forcing us into unfilial behavior!”
“Kill that madman! This is treason!”
“Aaaargh!”
It was a complete disaster. Somehow, Confucian fanatics had slipped past the Imperial Guard, firing arrows that even reached Dong Zhuo’s feet. Of course, the failed assassins all ended up with their heads hanging in the marketplace, but China had always had more than enough people. Later generations would claim it was because rice could support a large population, but in this era the people of Hebei lived on wheat. The simple truth was that the people of the Central Plains simply liked having lots of people around.
Naturally, there was no shortage of young, hot-blooded scholar-assassins. And the number of Imperial Guards swayed by their rhetoric was far from insignificant. The Imperial Guard had been He Jin’s direct subordinates. Although they had been absorbed into Dong Zhuo’s faction after He Jin’s fall, their loyalty lay with the Han imperial family rather than with Dong Zhuo personally. Compared to the Liangzhou or Bingzhou armies, they were far more susceptible to the scholars’ persuasion.
For the Confucian zealots drunk on religious fervor, dying as martyrs in an assassination attempt was a powerful incentive. Meanwhile, resentment among the Bingzhou and Liangzhou troops assigned to patrol duties grew steadily worse.
“…With no emperor, there is no need for a regent like myself. I wish to return to my children and serve His Highness the Prince of Bohai. I beg you to accept my resignation.”
“Regent Liu, if even you abandon me, who can I trust to safeguard five hundred years of Han tradition? This Dong Zhongying… begs you. Please stay. I have already spoken to my son-in-law and am working to ensure that His Highness the Prince of Bohai ascends the throne.”
“It was already decided that Empress Dowager Dong would serve as regent for His Highness the Prince of Bohai. Since Grand Commandant Dong and Empress Dowager Dong share the same Dong clan lineage, she would be a thousand times more suitable than an old man like myself.”
Dong Zhuo’s Dong clan came from Longxi Commandery in Yong Province, while Empress Dowager Dong’s came from Hejian Commandery in Ji Province. But in this vast Central Plains, how many surnames were truly unique? Except for the Gongsun clan of You Province and the imperial Liu clan, people of the same surname were considered family in this era. Dong Zhuo therefore treated Empress Dowager Dong as a distant relative and openly displayed affection for her.
Liu Yu used that connection as his excuse, and Dong Zhuo could find no better reason to keep him.
Of course, if one looked at history, it was not unheard of for a country without a king to have a regent, or a country without a sea to have a navy admiral. But that particular person would only appear some two thousand years from now.
He could mobilize troops to block Liu Yu’s departure, but if rumors spread that he had threatened Liu Yu—a clean official so respected that even the northern nomads called him “Mother”—the Imperial Guard’s morale would hit rock bottom. The image was all too clear.
“…Very well. But once His Highness the Prince of Bohai becomes emperor… may I ask you to resume the regency then?”
It felt as if his guts were twisting and bile was rising in his throat.
Dong Zhuo was a warlord. He preferred stepping on other people’s heads rather than bowing his own, killing subjects who displeased him, and reshaping the world to suit his tastes. Being jerked around by the world’s rules and customs was not his style.
When he had poisoned He Jin, driven out the Ten Eunuchs, and installed a young emperor as his puppet, he had told himself to endure just a little longer. But before he could fully seize power in Luoyang, the emperor had vanished, leaving Dong Zhuo’s authority in an awkward limbo.
Of course, the position of Grand Commandant was no minor post. It was one of the Three Dukes and granted control over the military power of the entire Han Empire. However, it held no authority over personnel appointments or legislation.
When he had the emperor in his grasp, military power alone had been enough; the rest could be handled with the emperor’s hypnotic “app.” But without an emperor, he could not completely overshadow the authority of the other Two Dukes. And the Imperial Guard’s losses in defending against the Confucian-Taliban assassins were becoming far too severe.
After Liu Yu left the palace, Dong Zhuo stood for a long time in the empty audience hall.
“…Son-in-law, what does His Highness the Prince of Bohai say?”
“That… well…”
“Son-in-law?”
“I sent a fast courier, but he probably hasn’t even left Sili Province yet.”
“That fellow Li Jue has quite a few complaints. The Imperial Guard is the same, and the Bingzhou Army has gone mad following that lunatic Lu Bu. Haah… Just how far can we go with the Liangzhou and Bingzhou armies?”
“The rebels in the south are not a major problem. Yuan Shu, who has taken Jing Province, lacks the caliber to accomplish anything without Sun Jian the Marquis of Wucheng. Liu Yan of Yi Province is too busy defending the lands of Ba and Shu. But the north…”
“What is the relationship between Gongsun Zan and his subordinates like? Do you think we can drive a wedge between them?”
“It will be difficult. Even the lowliest soldiers receive twice the pay of the Imperial Guard… At the very least, money will not tempt them. And trying to lure them with honors is pointless—the Duke of Yan is an undefeated legendary general. Moreover, he has no qualms about dividing his own territory among his subordinates, so their loyalty is exceptionally strong.”
“Hah… He actually divided the land?”
“Yes. He has handed over the governorship of Yanzhou—excluding the original Liaodong territory—and distributed most powers except military command. I hear he doesn’t even pay much attention to military authority except during wartime.”
“What a madman. How can he pay the soldiers after giving away so much land?”
“Rumors say there is a massive salt mine in Liaodong. The water is brackish and cannot be used directly, but the price is less than half of the state monopoly rate… I understand that Liaodong merchants are conducting trade all the way beyond the borders along the coast.”
“That’s it! Salt smuggling! How could we have missed such an obvious weakness?”
“…Are you suggesting we charge the Duke of Yan with salt smuggling?”
“The emperor who appointed him Duke of Yan has already disappeared. What does it matter? Son-in-law, put your mind to this matter.”
“Understood. The southern fools will lose their minds at the mere mention of salt.”
The news of the emperor’s disappearance spread across the Central Plains over the course of several months. The unbelievable rumor that the emperor had ascended to heaven actually helped the news travel faster. In this era, it was common for word from Luoyang to take years to reach distant regions.
“What? The emperor ascended to heaven?”
“Yes. Hundreds of people claim to have witnessed the event.”
“Dong Zhuo didn’t kill him?”
“…No matter how much of a traitor Dong Zhuo may be, even he could not survive killing His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Hmm… ascended… ascended, you say…”
Yuan Shu, the legitimate heir of the Yuan family that had produced three generations of the Three Dukes and now ruled Jing Province, stroked his beard as he organized his thoughts.
“That half-breed forgot his own bloodline and chased a foolish dream, and died for it. Because that half-breed caused trouble, my own reputation has been dragged through the mud. This is the perfect opportunity… but even if I try to rally another anti-Dong Zhuo coalition now, I wonder how many would actually respond.”
“How about using your title as Marquis of Wucheng to rally the lords? You once gathered the heroes as leader of the Eighteen Warlords. If you and the Duke of Yan take the lead again, you can secure the moral high ground.”
“Moral high ground… moral high ground… The emperor has ascended to heaven… Yes, that works. His Highness Liu Xie, the Prince of Bohai, must be about ten years old this year, correct?”
“Around that age.”
“My own son is about the same age. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to arrange a match in advance.”
“Will the Duke of Yan accept?”
“If he has a brain, he will. We split this vast Han Empire in two. He takes the north, I take the south. Of course, this senior would be taking a loss in the deal… but if my son becomes the emperor’s husband, that gap can be closed easily enough. They say the salt mines in Liaodong are enormous. As the emperor’s father-in-law, I should be able to claim at least that much.”
“…”
Sun Jian, the Marquis of Wucheng, wore a very strange expression, but in Yuan Shu’s mind, a marriage alliance was a flawless and perfect plan.
“Good. Send a messenger to Yan Province. Also meet with Inspector Cao Mengde of Yanzhou in advance to propose an alliance. We must prevent that barbarian Dong Zhuo from swallowing the Han Empire, mustn’t we?”
“…As you command.”
“Ah, let your son go north this time as well. If that bumpkin Gongsun Zan has any sense, he won’t attack my men.”
“Understood.”
“Hurry. Whether he ascended or was killed, if the young emperor has truly disappeared, that Dong Zhuo will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Prince of Bohai. We cannot defeat that monster Gongsun Zan in open war… but I suspect Dong Zhuo is not quite the stupid barbarian he appears to be.”
Yuan Shu met with countless people. As the legitimate son of a prestigious family, he had built connections with many, and many more sought him out to tie their own fates to his network. That vast experience of meeting people had given him the ability to read them. Even if his political talent was mediocre, it had been the foundation that allowed him to easily absorb Jing and Yu provinces. It also gave him enough insight to recognize that Dong Zhuo, who appeared to be nothing but a warmonger, was actually quite a cunning warlord.
“Gongsun Zan has merged You and Ji provinces and declared the founding of the State of Yan. Then shouldn’t I, Yuan Shu, who has merged Jing and Yu provinces, also be able to establish a dukedom? And… if the rumor is true that the emperor ascended to heaven out of disappointment with Dong Zhuo’s tyranny… then the one to inherit the Mandate of Heaven should be none other than I, Yuan Gonglu, the legitimate heir of the Yuan family.”
Human greed knows no bounds. Yuan Shu was repeating the same mistake once again.