The Emperor in Yan (2)
The first to reach the borders of the State of Yan were, as expected, the neighboring cousin Cao Cao, Governor of Yanzhou, and Li Ru, Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law.
“Li Ru… What brings one of Dong Zhuo’s men here?”
“I imagine we came for the same reason… And even if we are enemies, it is hardly proper to speak ill of the dead.”
“Hah. So you came to drink with a friend too? And… you’re angry I stole your seat and called you by name? A mere strategist like you?”
“Hmph. Says the man who couldn’t even cross Hulao Pass… What?”
“…What?”
There was never any chance the strategist who held the Han court for Dong Zhuo and the man who had raised the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition would get along. While it was not unheard of for strategists of this era to change lords, Li Ru had married Dong Zhuo’s daughter and sworn to serve him until death; switching sides was all but impossible. Of course, there were men like Lü Bu who could discard even an adoptive father without a second thought, but Li Ru lacked the ability to carve out a new position for himself after such disgrace.
With their leaders at odds, Cao Cao’s troops and Li Ru’s escort made no effort to hide their readiness to draw blades at any moment. The standoff continued, accompanied by the vigilance of the Pingyuan commandery forces, until Lu Zhi’s fortress line finally came into view.
Whether one came from Sili Province or Yanzhou, anyone who did not intend to take the mountain paths had to pass through Pingyuan Commandery to set foot in Yan. True to its name, Pingyuan was a vast, flat plain and a natural granary created by the flooding of the Yellow River. In ordinary times one would have seen endless wheat fields, or at least a wide grassland dotted with the occasional tree. What met the eyes of both forces now, however, was a landscape so barren and alien it felt unreal.
From one end of the horizon to the other there was not a single tree. The walls of the small fortresses within sight were not especially tall, yet beneath them stretched deep, waterless moats—trenches—that made any quick assault look impossible. Between the wooden palisades rose watchtowers manned by Yan soldiers armed with powerful crossbows, each tower fitted with a small bell that would sound the instant an enemy approached.
The fortresses themselves were modest in size, but their numbers were the real problem.
“Insane…”
No matter which way one looked, at least two fortresses were always visible. Trying to bypass them would split the army’s formation, and the cavalry inside would surely tear the scattered lines to pieces. Lu Zhi’s fortress line, built during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, had been transplanted here.
Destroying each fortress would cost far too much. Ignoring them and charging ahead would only see supply lines cut and formations shattered. The low, widely spaced strongpoints paradoxically functioned like a single continuous wall. Unless every one of them was taken, the only ways into Yan were over the high, rugged mountains or by sea. Yet there was no guarantee similar fortresses did not exist in the mountains, and the sailors of Liaodong—who traded salt across the realm—were more skilled at shipboard combat than any other force’s marines. In this age merchants, bandits, and travelers were often the same people, and a large merchant ship was indistinguishable from a large pirate ship. Liaodong possessed the most merchant vessels and the strongest navy—and the most notorious pirates.
“Do you understand what this is?”
“Lord Lu Zhi was slandered and our Grand Commandant took over the siege operation after him. Unless you bring a million men, it would be wiser to give up on setting foot in the Duke of Yan’s domain.”
“Does the Grand Commandant intend to go to war with the Duke of Yan?”
“Surely not… You are the one entertaining such ruthless thoughts, are you not, Lord Mengde? After all, you were the one who formed the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition.”
“Dong Zhuo is a traitor no different from Wang Mang. I, for my part, maintain cordial relations with the other lords.”
“What—what did you say?!”
“Why? Did I speak falsely? Word has it the Emperor himself grew weary of Dong Zhuo’s tyranny and ascended to heaven…”
“Y-you madman!”
“Besides, if the Grand General He Jin has fallen, then the legitimate successor is me. As Grand General’s Assistant I inherited his duties and was granted acting authority in emergencies. So why does Dong Zhuo cling to command of the Imperial Guards with every excuse under the sun? The Ten Eunuchs’ rebellion has been dealt with; the Guards’ command should return to normal as well.”
It was a gamble on Cao Cao’s part, yet one he could afford because he held a winning hand. If the Emperor was still alive and well in Luoyang and this was merely a trap to lure in ambitious men like himself, he had already decided to abandon Yanzhou and throw himself on Gongsun Zan’s mercy. The Duke of Yan was famous for generously dividing territory among his subordinates. Even after becoming Duke and gaining control of both You and Ji Provinces, he had entrusted You to Liu Yu’s son Liu He and Ji to Guo Yi, former subordinate of the previous Governor of Ji, Han Fu. If Cao Cao offered Yanzhou entire, Gongsun Zan would likely keep him in the post rather than install someone else—his style of rule suggested as much.
Holding a winning hand, Cao Cao played his gamble, and Li Ru, Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law and current strategist, reacted exactly as expected. The rightful commander of the Imperial Guards was clearly Cao Cao, who had been designated successor to the Grand General; Dong Zhuo had only been granted temporary command because he was the only lord capable of swiftly suppressing the Ten Eunuchs’ rebellion. The rebellion had ended in less than two days. The emergency was over, so command should naturally have passed to Cao Cao—yet Dong Zhuo kept finding excuses to withhold it. That was clearly suspicious, and it had been the moment Cao Cao began to doubt Dong Zhuo’s true intentions despite the latter’s reputation as a loyal servant of the Han.
“Li Ru. I don’t know what you’re plotting, but you’d best turn back. My friend Gongsun Zan has little fondness for rats like you.”
No matter how powerful Dong Zhuo’s army claimed to be, Li Ru was only a strategist; he would never be given elite troops. Compared with Cao Cao, who had brought his entire personal guard, Li Ru’s escort was a mere handful. Fighting cavalry on an open plain with no cover was not wise, and Li Ru knew it better than anyone.
“…You will regret this.”
“Not a single person who’s said that to me has ever made me regret anything. I’ll look forward to seeing if you’re the first.”
Li Ru wheeled his horse around with a snort. Cao Cao could already picture him being thoroughly scolded by Dong Zhuo, but he merely chuckled and put the matter from his mind.
“He’s nothing more than a lackey of the traitor Dong Zhuo. Not worth my concern.”
“Quite right. That felt rather refreshing, I must say.”
“Yuanyang. If we had to break through this fortress line, how would you do it?”
“…I couldn’t. More accurately, I wouldn’t. If you ordered me to, I’d slap your cheek and run back home.”
“…Gongdai, what would you do?”
“Attacking followers of Mozi’s teachings is folly. The fact that these fortresses have no gates facing outward suggests they have no intention of attacking others. In that case, the best course is to remain friendly neighbors. If one insisted on breaking through… well, the only answer would be to bring a million men and crush them by sheer force. Of course the losses would far outweigh any gains…”
These were makeshift strongpoints whose gates faced only inward, toward Yan. Even though they were wooden palisades, smashing through walls was several times harder than breaking gates. Enduring deep trenches and crossbow fire from the ramparts to force a passage was clearly senseless.
“We’ve already sent word of our arrival, so an escort should be on the way… There they are.”
It was a female warrior with long, well-kept hair. She wielded a massive crescent-moon blade forged from a single piece of steel as though it weighed nothing—an accomplished general who had taken Hua Xiong’s head at Hulao Pass.
“Guan Yunchang… was it?”
“It has been a while, Lord Mengde. My congratulations on your appointment as Governor of Yanzhou.”
“I still remember what happened at Hulao Pass. If you ever wish to serve under me, you are always welcome.”
“I swore to stand with my elder sister, so while I appreciate the offer, I cannot accept. My elder brother is waiting. This way, please.”
“Ah… Now that you mention it, why do you sworn sisters call the Duke of Yan ‘elder brother’?”
“He said being called ‘elder brother’ by us felt less awkward than ‘older brother.’”
“Heh… That man’s still shy in the strangest places.”
“You know each other?”
“We met when he was Colonel of the Northern Gates and became drinking companions during our time in the Western Garden Army. I came to congratulate him on rising faster than even this Cao Mengde—and to have a drink.”
After a brief exchange of personal remarks, Cao Cao followed the escort around the fortress line and entered the largest central stronghold.
“The Duke of Yan came all the way out to the front lines?”
“…You will understand once you go inside.”
---
“Your Majesty, Cao Cao, Governor of Yanzhou, has arrived.”
“What should I do?”
The young Emperor, Liu Bian, looked quite tense at the prospect of meeting a feudal lord for the first time since leaving Luoyang. It was hardly surprising; they had arrived in Pingyuan Commandery barely a week ago—actually, the day before yesterday. He had only just begun to recover from the journey and was scheduled to sail for Liaodong tomorrow to meet the Prince of Bohai. He was still adjusting to life outside the palace in unfamiliar lands.
As a puppet emperor who had been forced to act as a mere figurehead under Dong Zhuo’s pressure, the sudden appearance of another warlord naturally made him stiffen.
“Your Majesty, within my territory no one would dare harm you. So treat him however you wish.”
There had not been enough time for the muscle I had shed to ride the hot-air balloon to return, but my personal guard was already assembled. Even if the greatest warrior under heaven, Lü Bu, reappeared, we could stop him. Even if the millions-strong army I had seen at Laling came again, we could buy the Emperor enough time to escape.
“If you do not wish to meet him, then do not. If you want an oath of loyalty, I will make him swear it.”
“Gongsun.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Governor Cao Mengde once served with you in the Western Garden Army… What did you think of him?”
Cao Cao… Cao Cao, huh.
From what I had known in my previous life he was a lady-killer who had once sent an empty lunchbox to his subordinate Xun Yu to drive him to suicide—a psychopath. Yet the man I had met in person was not so bad. The old saying fit him perfectly: a capable minister in times of order, a cunning hero in times of chaos. Though he was nearing thirty, his voice had never deepened, which still took some getting used to, but at least he was no rogue lacking loyalty to the imperial house.
“He is a capable minister in times of order and a cunning hero in times of chaos. If Your Majesty can win him over, he will devote all his talents to you. If you cannot, he will manipulate Your Majesty at will under the pretext of serving the Han.”
In my own estimation, Cao Cao was much like Stalin—the Georgian butcher of men—a ruler driven more by ideology than by simple ambition for personal gain. If the Emperor proved capable, Cao Cao was the sort of man who would dedicate his life to him. If the Emperor proved incompetent, he would become a dictator like Dong Zhuo, turning the Emperor into a mere figurehead while he ruled the world.
“Can I win him over?”
“It will be difficult for now. But Liaodong is home to many renowned scholars, and many of Your Majesty’s imperial relatives reside there as well. Once Your Majesty matures as a ruler, someone like Cao Cao will no longer be able to control you.”
“Still… still, you say… Gongsun, I will meet the Governor of Yanzhou.”
“Are you certain?”
“He is someone I must meet eventually. I may still be lacking, but I must try to make him mine, must I not? Besides, while I remain under your protection, this is a good opportunity.”
Honestly, I was a little surprised. The Prince of Bohai was the same. These young imperial relatives of this era occasionally made choices that exceeded my expectations—in a good way.