Raising an Army (1)
The Imperial Jade Seal.
I presented the greatest prize taken from Luoyang to my father, Liu Chong.
"The seal...! This is the supreme treasure that symbolizes Heavenly Fortune and the Heavenly Mandate! To have obtained the sacred object permitted only to the emperors of a unified empire...! Its brilliant jade radiance embodies the sanctity of ten thousand generations of imperial descent!"
Carved from the legendary He Shi Bi, the supreme treasure still emanated a bluish jade sheen even after centuries. The treasure of the First Emperor of Qin, founder of the first unified empire, could arouse desire even in a man who prized integrity and purity above all else.
Desire flickered in Liu Chong's eyes.
But it ended there.
Desire did not ignite ambition.
Without a trace of regret, Liu Chong placed the Imperial Jade Seal back upon the table.
"All under Heaven and every common soul now knows the whereabouts of the Imperial Jade Seal. Heaven's luck and the span of the imperial line have tumbled all the way to a cadet of the imperial clan on the frontier... We are already riding a charging chariot."
"Then I have no intention of climbing down gently."
There is an option to return the Imperial Jade Seal to the Imperial House and Imperial Court.
But that is irrelevant.
"I have heard that the seal's location has been unknown since the late emperor's reign. How did you lay hands on it?"
"It was found in a certain scholar-official's residence."
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a nameless palace maid, enraged by the savagery of Dong Zhuo's army—which set Luoyang ablaze and even desecrated the imperial tombs—hurled herself into a well clutching the Imperial Jade Seal.
But the truth is different.
The seal was actually lost during the reign of Emperor Ling. Disgusted by the emperor's tyranny in deploying eunuchs to commit countless corrupt acts and the open sale of offices, a certain official concealed the Imperial Jade Seal.
"How impotent and rotten must the Imperial House and Court be to lose track of the Imperial Jade Seal? Royal Father, please become its master. Heavenly Fortune and the Heavenly Mandate rest with you."
"I am not a man of sufficient caliber. Crown Prince, you know that."
"The throne does not choose; the man who seizes the throne becomes emperor! Royal Father enjoys the absolute support of the people of the south. Where can you find a greater principle than that?"
"Hmm...!"
King of Chen Liu Chong was a vassal king who, even before the Yellow Turbans rose, used personal courage and strategy to rescue countless commoners in the south. Unlike other imperial kinsmen who ignored duty and grasped only for power, he was a great man who genuinely cared for and placed the people first.
If you could choose the makings of an emperor,
then naturally a benevolent and gentle figure like Liu Chong ought to ascend as the new emperor.
"Abandon that thought. When the son is a traitor, how can the father remain safe?"
"To threaten your own father...! What an unfilial wretch I have raised!"
"When Royal Father someday ascends as emperor, your son will be recorded as the era's greatest filial son."
"..."
Whether I am recorded as the unfilial son who proposed rebellion,
or the era's filial son who raised his father to the imperial throne.
That will be decided by the success or failure of raising our army.
So while persuading my father, I explained the future plan in detail.
* * *
Lu Xun became a disciple under the Two Zhangs of Jiangdong. It was so that she might one day grow into a famed premier to represent Jiangdong.
The Five Classics and the Four Books.
The statutes and administrative system of the Han Dynasty.
From military strategy, state finance, and hydraulics to astronomy and the art of employing talent.
The sheer volume of study would astound even the most desperate repeat exam-takers and civil-service crammers in Daechi-dong. Moreover, Lu Xun was only eight years old, which made it even more grueling.
It reminded me of a British factory overseer who tormented child laborers on the shop floor. I was genuinely afraid that unsavory rumors might spread—"The Greatest Archer Under Heaven abused a little girl! He's not even human!"
"My lord, you've finally come!"
"Aren't you overdoing it? At this rate Lu Kang is going to scold me."
The platinum-haired girl burst into giggles. She had been holding a pile of bamboo slips with fingers as slender as fern fronds; I took them for her and we chatted.
"Truly, you are a great man who has won the approval of the most beautiful peerless maiden under heaven. I have been listening to every last report from the Luoyang front."
"A modest victory."
"Well... honestly, my lord, you're not especially astute."
"I hear that a lot."
I patted the head of Lu Xun, who had been trotting along like a squirrel.
At that, a smile spread across her face and she looked delighted.
"You are planning to summon your uncle and the Governor of Jiujiang now, aren't you? My lord stands on the eve of raising an army. Uniting Lujiang Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture south of the Huai River would turn us into a powerful force overnight. To stand against the neighboring warlords hungrily eyeing the Imperial Jade Seal, you must proclaim the raising of the army as soon as possible."
"You really are clever. I just spoke with my royal father."
"Ahem! As if I would be nothing but a Clever Miss of the Lujiang Lu Clan for no reason. Even if my lord had said nothing, a true advisor acts promptly. That's the proper attitude for a strategist."
"You are right. We must hurry to raise the army."
Securing the Imperial Jade Seal had gained us the justification and legitimacy to succeed the imperial throne. But at the same time, we had drawn the covetous eyes of neighboring warlords, the Inspector of Xu Province Tao Qian foremost among them.
You could say I'd pulled wide-area provocation.
Countless warlords had likely already turned hostile.
To avoid being swallowed by natural enemies, we had to bulk up first. The surrounding powers would form coalitions to seize southern territory and the Imperial Jade Seal together.
"Oh... have you met the daughter of the General Who Defeats the Barbarians? The eldest daughter of the Wu Prefecture Sun Clan who now holds an officer's commission in Chen Kingdom."
"Not a passing acquaintance. The general promised to introduce his whole household to me later; I planned to become acquainted then."
The platinum-haired girl pursed her lips slightly, plainly discontent. It was a very rare reaction for the self-proclaimed center of the universe, the youngest and most peerless genius who always claimed to be the most beautiful girl under heaven and the skies above.
Did she bear some grudge against the Wu Prefecture Sun Clan?
No,
surely not this early.
In the original history, after Sun Jian died, Sun Ce fell completely under Yuan Shu's command. Beholden to Yuan Shu as a guest general, Sun Ce obeyed Yuan Shu's orders and killed Lu Kang, Lu Xun's uncle and the Governor of Lujiang—making the Sun and Lu clans blood enemies.
I recalled the old tragedy between the Wu Prefecture Sun Clan and the Lujiang Lu Clan while waiting for Lu Xun's answer.
"I don't hold any ill will toward the general. I've heard he charged alone on horseback and saved my lord's life when you were isolated in the enemy camp. It's just... whenever I face his daughter, a strangely ominous unease and an inexplicable repulsion is all I feel."
"..."
I knew the source of the unpleasant déjà vu Lu Xun felt.
Hostile Character.
It is because of the Hostile Character system assigned to every figure in the Three Kingdoms.
In cases where a hostile relationship is set based on the original history—sworn enemies or mortal foes—especially when the other party caused a character's own miserable death, they are invariably registered as a Hostile Character.
'If this had been a Hostile Character set to maximum, she'd have felt hatred the moment she saw the face... It isn't set that severely, is it? In the original history, Lu Xun eventually reconciled with the Sun clan—her blood enemy—married Sun Ce's daughter, and shouldered great responsibility, so it must not have been set to the worst level.'
It wasn't a problem that would escalate into strife and internal discord.
Sun Ce. Lu Xun.
With proper handling and placating, the Hostile Character system could be resolved.
"The general's daughter turns seventeen this year, isn't that right?"
"Are you already harboring wicked designs on a daughter of the general you have never even met? If that's the case, then I shall absolutely never befriend her!"
I was merely confirming a fact.
I handed the stack of bamboo slips back to the platinum-haired girl.
At that, Lu Xun let out a little "Uwah!" and swayed unsteadily.
* * *
The man governing Jiujiang Prefecture was its Governor, Bo Fu. A faithful and righteous officer who prized the Han imperial house, Bo Fu argued in a heated voice for the return of the Imperial Jade Seal.
"It is the sacred vessel of the Imperial House and Court, symbolizing the very lifeline of a unified empire! How can the Crown Prince of Chen behave like a ruthless sneak-thief and carry the Imperial Jade Seal here!"
This was defiance of Heaven and usurpation.
It was tantamount to declaring oneself a traitor.
No doubt they mean to use the Imperial Jade Seal to claim the legitimacy of usurpation. Having accepted Liu Chong's summons together with Governor of Lujiang Lu Kang and arrived at the palace, Bo Fu maintained an unyielding position on the seal.
"Governor of Jiujiang, your words go too far! The Crown Prince has destroyed the arch-traitor of all ages and retaken Luoyang—an achievement of a lifetime!"
"However great the achievement, it cannot excuse treason and usurpation! You must at once return the Imperial Jade Seal to the Imperial House and Court and prove you harbor no treason!"
Under any circumstances, the vassal kings of the Han must remain loyal to the Imperial House and Court.
Despite Lu Kang's bellow, Bo Fu pressed his view.
At such inflexible obstinacy, Liu Chong released a heavy sigh and betrayed his disappointment. The Governor of Jiujiang, Bo Fu, was practically a friend of long-standing, and so a trace of regret even welled up.
"Truly a pity, Governor of Jiujiang. If only you had joined us in raising the army..."
"W-What do you mean!"
Liu Chong raised a hand.
At once, the military officers guarding the King of Chen drew their swords in unison.
"I have accepted the Crown Prince's proposal and resolved to raise our army. Now, I shall sweep away the corrupt and incompetent Imperial House and Court and throw open a new dynasty over all the world."
The sharp points of the swords menaced the nape of Governor Bo Fu's neck. The keen blades glinted with a baleful light, as if they would sever his head then and there.