Your Name Is Chang'an
Your name is
Chang'an.
Cao Pi, Emperor of Wei, could not hide his displeasure at the stream of ill tidings that kept flying in.
"General Who Conquers the South Cao Xiu has lost his life to the Shu general Zhang Fei!"
After Jin Cheong withdrew to the rear, the Wei and Shu armies clashed once more, yet Cao Xiu was slain by Zhang Fei.
The death of Cao Xiu, a core general even within Wei, delivered a heavy shock. But that was not the end of it.
"Yong Province has finally fallen into Shu hands. Inspector of Yong Province Zhang Ji, along with Su Ze, You Chu and the rest, have fled to Liang Province!"
Zhang Ji, Su Ze, You Chu and the others were trying to join forces with Xu Miao to hold Liang Province, yet Liang Province too was said to be in peril.
"What was Zhang He doing that he failed to stop Yong Province from falling to the enemy!"
Some time later Zhang He, defeated at Jieting, returned and knelt before Cao Pi.
"I have no face left to show, Your Majesty."
"Zhang He. Did I not warn you so thoroughly before you marched out? I did not entrust you with an army of forty thousand for this."
"I will gladly accept full responsibility for the defeat."
Zhang He bowed his head.
He had led forty thousand troops to check the Shu army advancing into Yong and Liang Provinces, yet Guo Jun had held him fast at Jieting.
Though he had not been beaten by Guo Jun, neither had he won, and so he failed to prevent the Shu forces from seizing Yong Province.
While Guo Jun bought time, the units of Wei Yan, Wu Yi and others reached Jieting and poured on a fierce assault; Zhang He could not withstand it and was forced to pull his army back.
Having failed in the strategic objective and then suffered outright defeat, Zhang He had nothing to say even if he possessed ten mouths. On top of that Cao Pi dredged up the old matter of his captivity as well….
"It was some years ago, true, yet the national treasury paid the ransom that freed you from the status of prisoner—and is this all the repayment I receive? Zhang He?"
"..."
Cao Pi's voice was not loud, yet that distinctive sarcastic tone of his rang through the great hall.
The ministers to left and right wished somehow to save Zhang He, yet none dared speak rashly; they only rolled their eyes in silence.
One wrong step without reading the room might pour oil on the wildfire of Cao Pi's rage.
Sima Yi, fretting for the same reason, carefully opened his mouth. Losing a famous general like Zhang He here would be far too great a waste.
"Your Majesty, please calm yourself a moment. Zhang He is a general who has rendered meritorious service since the days of the Martial Emperor. And victory and defeat are the constant of the military…"
"Calm myself? Do I look like a man who can calm himself right now, Zhongda?"
"Your Majesty…. Please hear me out for a moment…."
Sima Yi tried first to soothe Cao Pi, but another man beside him cut in ahead of him.
"Your Majesty. This Humble Guard of the Tiger Cavalry, Linghu Jun, has a word to offer."
"What is it?"
"The defeated general Zhang He was once beaten at Tangqu and taken captive by the enemy general Jin Cheong."
"..."
When Linghu Jun needlessly dredged up that past humiliation again, Zhang He frowned, yet the crime of defeat kept him silent and listening.
"However, word has it that the enemy general Jin Cheong treated General Zhang He and the captured soldiers rather well."
"Wh-what are you saying…?"
"This subject has heard such a rumor—that Zhang He's soldiers are raising voices of worship toward the Shu general Jin Cheong."
"What nonsense is that! Worship? Preposterous!"
Zhang He was flabbergasted. He and the soldiers who had been captured and later released felt gratitude toward Jin Cheong, yet it never rose to the level of worship. Linghu Jun only snorted.
"Even if 'worship' is overstated, is it not a fact that they received kindness from that man? And perhaps they harbor other thoughts as well. General Zhang He led forty thousand of the central army. For an elite force of forty thousand to achieve no merit whatsoever and simply allow Shu to swallow Yong Province is a strange matter. Might they not have colluded with the enemy? Or rather, even if General Zhang He himself is innocent, one never knows about the soldiers under him. I have heard that even after returning home they went about praising Jin Cheong. Failing to curb collusion or negligence among one's subordinates can itself be called a commander's failure…."
Unable to endure any longer, Zhang He shouted.
"That is far too excessive a thought! Though we were defeated, my men and I fought with everything we had! And in this campaign we never even met Jin Cheong! I will gladly bear responsibility for the defeat, but such slander is…!"
"Zhang He! Shut that mouth of yours! How dare a defeated general raise his voice so freely!"
"..."
When Cao Pi raised his voice, Zhang He closed his mouth and flushed red. Yet the injustice burned. Better to be reprimanded for the defeat than to suffer baseless accusations of colluding with the enemy.
As Zhang He bowed his head and clenched his teeth, Cao Pi turned to Linghu Jun.
"So then—you mean to say Zhang He may be colluding with the enemy?"
"Even if not General Zhang He himself, the very fact that Wei soldiers go about praising an enemy general is a strange matter."
"Is that so? Then do you possess actual evidence that those soldiers colluded?"
When Cao Pi unexpectedly asked in a cold voice, Linghu Jun felt that something had gone slightly wrong.
"…There is as yet no evidence, but if we begin investigating from now…"
"You raised such talk without evidence? Do you not know that what you are saying is slander?"
"Th-this subject was merely worried for the future of the nation…. It is a matter we can investigate carefully from this point on."
When Linghu Jun hemmed and hawed, Cao Pi snorted.
"In the first place that affair was several years ago, and in the meantime there has been no sign of rebellion or revolt among the soldiers. Moreover, soldiers are soon ordinary commoners. Commoners are grateful to those who fill their bellies. So it is no strange thing that they raised voices of gratitude toward Jin Cheong. And if that is so, then in our Wei we need only feed them more fully and bestow greater kindness—yet as a subject who eats the nation's salary, do you not even know such a principle! And though defeated, they took up swords and went out to fight. For the likes of you who have never once gripped a sword to wag your three-inch tongue here is unseemly!"
When Cao Pi grew angry, Linghu Jun prostrated himself flat on the floor.
"Th-this subject merely spoke out of concern…."
"Or are you saying the responsibility lies with Us for failing to feed the commoners properly?"
"Th-that cannot be. I-I never intended any such thing with my words. This subject misspoke."
"I have no more wish to hear it! For a fool like you to use the name Jun—meaning 'to deepen'—is itself a luxury. Therefore from now on your name shall be changed to Yu, meaning 'foolish'!"
Linghu Jun—no, Linghu Yu—bashed his head against the floor begging for forgiveness.
"Y-Your Majesty. This subject has committed a capital crime!"
"Oh? If you have committed a capital crime, then may I strike off your head at once and display it?"
"Th-that is not what I meant. Please, forgive me!"
Yet Cao Pi had no intention of forgiving Linghu Yu.
"If you beg so, I shall spare striking off your head. However, for the crime of recklessly slandering others I shall strip you of your office and confiscate all your property. The confiscated property shall be used to procure military provisions for the soldiers."
Having misspoken once, Linghu Yu suddenly suffered the triple hardship of forced name-change, dismissal from office, and confiscation of property.
"Y-Your Majesty, this subject was wrong. Please, just once, forgive…!"
"Silence! I shall give you one piece of advice! Possess a normal way of thinking and act according to common sense! An idiot like you…!"
Linghu Yu raised his voice begging for forgiveness, yet Cao Pi's voice as he pointed and scolded him was louder still.
Sima Yi inwardly sneered at Linghu Yu, who was dazed by the torrent of Cao Pi's curses pouring down like a waterfall.
That stupid fool. He must have tried to curry favor by agreeing with His Majesty's words, but His Majesty is a man whose actions cannot be predicted. Whether he acts calculatingly or impulsively—even I cannot guess in detail.
Even so, Linghu Yu's voice was gradually being drowned out by Cao Pi's.
Still, if I try to guess what His Majesty was thinking in acting this way… By defending Zhang He he has secured his loyalty for the time being. And he has shown before the people that he is an emperor who cares for the commoners, and he has also filled the military provisions. Whether this was truly done out of consideration for the people or was political theater is hard to say.
Having poured out enough of his rage on Linghu Yu, Cao Pi's head turned back to Zhang He.
"Zhang He!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"That does not mean the crime of defeat disappears. Right General Zhang He is demoted to General Who Pacifies the East. And I shall give you one more chance to redeem the defeat."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am overwhelmed with gratitude."
Sima Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately. In a crisis like this it is far better to have General Zhang He remaining than the likes of that Linghu Yu.
Linghu Yu's slander had paradoxically wrought Zhang He's salvation. That he was demoted was a bit regrettable, yet far better than being dismissed entirely.
And it was not only bad news that arrived.
Man Chong at Hefei was holding out well, and there was also news that Cao Zhang was smoothly progressing with the subjugation of the Wuhuan in the north.
Cao Pi decided that on this occasion he should have Cao Zhang thoroughly suppress all the disloyal elements in the north.
"I shall convey an imperial decree to Cao Zhang. Enfeoff Marquis of Yanling Cao Zhang as King of Rencheng and order him to thoroughly subjugate the Wuhuan tribes. The likes of the Wuhuan must not be allowed to set even a toe upon Wei territory."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Also, convey to Inspector of Bing Province Yang Xi and Inspector of You Province Wang Xiong. Order them to keep strict watch over Cao Zhi in Ye."
Cao Pi then ordered additional support troops to be organized for Liang Province as well.
The support army for the Liang Province front was assigned Cao Ren, one of Wei's greatest famous generals, along with Zhang He, Sun Li, Zhang Hu, Yue Chen and others. And,
"And to Wan—Wan County of Nanyang Commandery—I myself shall lead the imperial army and set out. I shall avenge the grudge of the fallen General Who Conquers the South."
It was the first expedition of the Emperor of Wei.