Alliance (3)
When Zhuge Liang proclaimed the pacification of Nanzhong, a stir ran through the court ministers.
The Southern Man lands…
Is that not a land of rebellion?
Nanzhong was a place one only ever went if exiled like Jiaozhou, or appointed as a local official. Worse still, Man tribes who harbored resentment against the Han Chinese were constantly stirring there, giving Shu no end of headaches.
"Are you certain about this, Chancellor?"
Liu Bei spoke with open concern.
"I am aware of the situation in Nanzhong."
He knew that Yong Kai had turned his coat and was already making unquiet moves. After Liu Bei's crushing defeat, Yong Kai had begun to let his ambitions show. Li Yan had sent letters to persuade him, yet Yong Kai had not so much as pretended to listen.
"But Nanzhong is said to have treacherous terrain, and its climate is utterly different from the Central Plains. Must Your Excellency go in person?"
He understood perfectly well that Yong Kai and Meng Huo had to be crushed swiftly, before they could collude with Wei and become a lasting threat to Shu's rear. Yet Nanzhong, together with Jiaozhou, was one of the most critical frontiers of all. Out of genuine worry for Zhuge Liang's health, he could not keep from asking.
"Yes. I too am well aware of the rugged terrain of the Southern Man lands."
"And still you mean to go yourself, knowing that?"
"Yes. Without my personal presence, Nanzhong can never be truly pacified."
Zhuge Liang's face was resolute.
"Moreover, if we are to bring Nanzhong fully under our control, now is the perfect moment."
Cao Pi lay ill; Wei and Wu were both occupied with the Shanyue tribes and with their own internal affairs. While the other two states had no attention to spare for Shu, the threat in the rear had to be cut out root and branch.
"…Yet, Chancellor."
One of the ministers stepped forward.
"Since ancient times Nanzhong has been a land of rebellion where the barbarian tribes rise up. The pacification will not be smooth."
Even Ma Yuan, the General Who Calms the Waves, renowned for suppressing the tribes in ages past, had suffered bitterly and still failed to bring them fully to heel. One need only look at how the barbarians continued to plague the realm even after Cao Cao founded his state.
"And while the Chancellor is away, what if Wei or Wu should strike?"
Zhuge Liang answered with a faint smile.
"Neither state has the strength to concern itself with Shu at present. Cao Pi is bedridden, and Wu has no leeway to turn its eyes outward."
He was certain there would be no invasion.
"Against any unforeseen contingency, General Ma Chao holds Hanzhong, and I intend to station Guan Xing and Zhang Bao at Jiangzhou. With General Chen Dao there as well, the Wu army will not dare move rashly."
He had already finished arranging the placement of his generals.
"There are three advantages to be gained from this Southern Man expedition."
"And what are they?"
Liu Bei asked, curious.
"First: we shall be able to devote ourselves wholly to the Northern Expedition."
Once Nanzhong was pacified the rear would be secure, and every effort could be turned against Wei. Both Liu Bei and the ministers already understood that much.
"Second: we shall obtain fine warhorses and trade routes."
Jianning was a breeding ground for excellent steeds. They could not match those of Xiliang or Youzhou, yet for Shu—whose rugged mountains made the raising of cavalry so difficult—they were a vital resource. Beyond that, there were the unique products of the Southern Man lands, and the possibility of trade with the kingdoms farther south.
"And the last advantage?"
"The newly incorporated soldiers will gain real battle experience, and in time we may raise troops from the Nanzhong region itself."
After the disaster at Ma'an Mountain they had husbanded their strength, taken in new recruits, and trained them hard. Yet those recruits had done little more than hunt down plundering tribesmen and bandits. Actual battlefield experience was still scarce. Fighting the soldiers of Nanzhong would be an excellent opportunity to remedy that.
"Even while I am away, I have already spoken to Ma Liang and Huang Quan concerning affairs of state. Consult with them and there will be no great difficulty."
Taking advantage of the disorder around them, Zhuge Liang meant to cut the sprouts of rebellion before they could grow.
"I understand the Chancellor's purpose well."
Having heard the three reasons, Liu Bei nodded.
"I grant leave for the pacification of the Southern Man lands. Take every care of your person."
Having grasped Zhuge Liang's deeper design, Liu Bei gave his consent to the campaign in Nanzhong.
Zhuge Liang summoned the generals of the army.
"Yong Kai has joined hands with Meng Huo, King of the Southern Man, and raised troops."
News of unquiet movements in the Southern Man lands had already reached them. At the time, intent on conserving strength, they had merely dispatched local officials—a passive measure. The rebels had answered by murdering those officials, no longer bothering to hide their ambition.
"One of them, Yong Kai, has attached himself to Meng Huo and betrayed us."
Yong Kai was a descendant of Yong Chi, a general of the Former Han. Though his house had received the grace of the Han for generations, he had turned against those who now carried on the Han imperial line. The betrayal of good faith was detestable.
"If we leave them be, they will certainly strike our rear the moment we launch the Northern Expedition. I intend to use this chance to pacify Nanzhong completely."
Zhuge Liang selected officers of high renown and proven merit. Zhao Yun and Wei Yan were of course included; young generals who still needed experience were brought along as well. Among those chosen were also officers who had previously been demoted. Zhuge Liang ordered Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, and others to take part.
"Earn merit this time."
"We thank the Chancellor!"
Before the Northern Expedition he means them to distinguish themselves in the Southern Man campaign and regain their former posts.
To keep Wei in check, Ma Chao remained stationed in Hanzhong. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao were sent to Jiangzhou, where the veteran general Chen Dao already held the post, to watch Wu's movements. An alliance existed, yet Wu was the very state that had stabbed them in the back and seized Jingzhou. In an age no different from the Warring States, constant vigilance was required.
"…And General of the Standard Guan Suo."
"Yes."
I too was listed among the officers marching south. In the Romance, Guan Suo appears only during the Southern Man campaign, so it was only natural. I had already asked in advance to be taken along for the pacification of the Southern Man lands. After Yang Yi's insult I had been desperate for any chance to earn merit.
The council ended with the announcement that the army would set out for the Southern Man lands in three days. I turned my steps toward the forge, thinking of Nanzhong as I walked.
…The Southern Man lands.
Originally Meng Huo had been nothing more than a local magnate who had settled in the Nanzhong region. Most of the officials there had also served under Han rule. Barbarian tribes certainly existed, yet they were nothing like the fantastical savages that appeared in the Romance.
Once Luo Guanzhong embroidered the tale, however, Nanzhong became a host of wild men with alien customs. Meng Huo himself was transformed into a Man King who led many different tribes.
Come to think of it, in the Hua Guansuo Zhuan Meng Huo and Lady Zhurong had a daughter—will she appear as well?
Given that Po Sanniang already existed in this world, the odds seemed high.
Still turning these thoughts over, I reached the forge. Someone was at work at the anvil.
"It has been some time, Master Po Yuan."
His name was Po Yuan—the foremost blacksmith in Shu. After proclaiming the closed-door policy of resting the people, Zhuge Liang had commissioned him to improve both swords and armor.
Hemmed in by rugged mountains, Shu was rich in iron ore. With weapons of fine steel and formations such as the Eight Arrays, they labored to offset the army's weaknesses.
Through his superb refining skill Po Yuan had bettered both blades and armor. The Shu army's plated armor was forged from scales refined five times over; the new swords he produced were sharp enough to shear through a bamboo stuffed full of iron shot in a single stroke.
"…Guan Suo. Have you come for that?"
Having met me several times through Zhao Yun, Po Yuan knew me well.
"Yes. I am to march on the expedition to Nanzhong, so I have come to collect it."
"Fortunately it was finished last night."
Po Yuan went into the smithy and lifted a weapon wrapped in cloth from a corner. He grunted with the effort of raising it.
"I still cannot fathom why you asked me to make such a thing."
Even with the sturdy build of a lifelong smith, he clearly found the weight burdensome. Muttering complaints under his breath, he handed me the finished piece.
Thud!
When it struck the ground a dull, heavy sound rolled through the air.
"I made it exactly as you requested, so it is extremely heavy. Will you still use it?"
"Yes."
I drew off the cloth and the crescent blade stood revealed. Its weight was eighty-two catties—nearly eighteen kilograms, almost twenty. Such a mass was commonplace for someone training in a modern gym, yet swinging it on a battlefield would rob a man of all agility and was simply impossible. I had ordered so heavy a weapon precisely because of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
That blade belongs to Guan Xing now; I cannot use it.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade was all but the symbol of Guan Yu's heir. Asking for it would have been unseemly, so I had a new one forged with the same weight for practice.
Perfect for training before I ever take up the true Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
"It seems you had General Guan Yu's Green Dragon Blade in mind, yet other than the weight it will be a different weapon."
According to Po Yuan, Guan Yu's blade had been forged from an exceedingly rare metal.
"I know."
I was only carrying the thing to grow accustomed to its mass. I took hold of the imitation Green Dragon Blade and lifted it. Two years of hard training—and perhaps the bloodline itself—let me raise it with surprising ease.
"As befits the blood of the greatest warrior under heaven. You lift that as though it were nothing."
Po Yuan stared in open admiration.
"May I ask one more favor?"
"Haa… You too are beginning to resemble the Chancellor, forever piling work on me."
Po Yuan heaved a deep sigh.
"I'll say this plainly: the Chancellor's commissions have left me buried in unfinished work. I cannot take on anything difficult."
I had already heard that Zhuge Liang had set him to inventing new weapons for the Southern Man campaign.
"It is nothing of the sort. I merely saw something that was already finished."
I told him what I wanted.
"…Ah. That I have ready."
It was a device used since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, yet seldom seen in recent times.
"But why take these with you?"
"I thought they might prove useful somehow."
I smiled faintly, gathered up the crescent blade and the wooden case that held the other items, and took my leave.
Three days later.
"Advance!"
After taking leave of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang led seventy thousand troops out toward Nanzhong.