Chapter Twenty: Yuan Gonglu’s Imperial Ambition
Yang Hong returned to the hall, looked at Yuan Shu, and bowed with his hands clasped. “My lord, I have a plan!”
Yuan Shu beamed with delight, holding the Imperial Seal. “What plan? Speak quickly!”
Yang Hong replied, “In my opinion, our army should delay its advance. When Sun Jian and Liu Biao are both exhausted from their struggle, we can seize the opportunity to strike, destroy both Liu Biao and Sun Jian in one fell swoop, and eliminate the Emperor as well. Afterwards, we can simply announce to the world that Liu Biao plotted rebellion and murdered the Emperor. Thus, my lord would possess the Imperial Seal and soon proclaim yourself Emperor!”
“Hahaha! Excellent!” Yuan Shu laughed loudly, but Yan Xiang interjected, “My lord must not declare himself Emperor. In the past, King Wen of Zhou controlled two-thirds of the realm, yet still paid homage to King Zhou of Shang. Now, though the Han court is weak, the Han Emperor is still present and is not a tyrant like King Zhou. Moreover, Sun Jian is no incompetent, and as for Liu Biao, it is better we aid him in this campaign. In doing so, we can exchange the Imperial Seal for control over half of Jing Province. If, instead, we act for our own gain, Sun Jian may well—after defeating Liu Biao—”
“Then destroy our lord as well?!” Yang Hong sneered and shouted, “Yan Xiang! You praise Sun Jian so highly—do you intend to become his lapdog? Don’t forget whose servant you are!”
“You—Yang Hong!” Yan Xiang’s face flushed red with shame and anger.
“Hey, hey, now! Chief Historian Yang, Registrar Yan, let’s not quarrel. I think Chief Historian Yang’s plan is quite good.”
“My lord!” Yan Xiang dropped to his knees. “I beg my lord to reconsider!”
Yuan Shu set aside the Imperial Seal and hurried to help Yan Xiang up, smiling. “How about this, Registrar Yan: if I become Emperor, I’ll immediately appoint you as Chancellor. As for Chief Historian Yang, you’ll be made Grand Marshal, and Ji Ling will be Grand Commandant…”
Yang Hong, Ji Ling, and the other ministers exchanged glances of ecstasy and immediately knelt. “We wish Your Majesty ten thousand years of life!”
With sixty-six thousand troops, two hundred thousand civilians, and enormous consumption of provisions, now that the collusion with Yuan Shu was set, Sun Jian’s army swaggered into Wuyin County, settled the two hundred thousand civilians, and made camp to rest.
Wuyin County was but a small place, often troubled by mountain bandits; the town’s dwellings were dilapidated. Fortunately, Sun Jian was responsible for feeding the populace, so there was little cause for concern.
Along the way, Jiang Wen mused that Zhuge Liang should be in seclusion at Longzhong now. Zhuge Liang followed Liu Bei at twenty-seven, so at present, he was still just a child.
Jiang Wen couldn’t help but marvel at Wancheng. It was here that Liu Xiu raised an army and crushed Wang Mang. If some speculated that Wang Mang was a time traveler, Jiang Wen would be more impressed by Liu Xiu, who was truly legendary. His life matched his name—just the plain character “Xiu,” as if fate itself favored him.
And beneath this very Wancheng, in Longzhong, still lies a future statesman slumbering in obscurity. Jiang Wen pondered whether he should attempt to win over this future Chancellor of Shu-Han. (A note here: when Liu Bei declared himself Emperor, his state was named Han, not Shu-Han. The title Shu-Han was a derogatory term used by Wei and Wu, and later scholars adopted it for clarity—but this is merely a digression.)
But now, as the campaign against Jing Province unfolded, Jiang Wen could not take leave to seek out Zhuge Liang. Sun Jian died here precisely because of his stubbornness. After pacifying Jing Province, he would visit the young Zhuge.
The people of Wuyin County welcomed Sun Jian warmly. Many offered food and money, even providing lodging for his soldiers. After all, Sun Jian’s slaying of Dong Zhuo was now famous throughout the land.
Jiang Wen, Tao’er, and all the civilians and soldiers knelt and bowed. “We humble subjects pay respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!”
Liu Xie glanced at the county city before him, delighted. It was his first time leaving the palace. He had once been Prince of Chenliu, master of his own fief, living at ease. But ever since Dong Zhuo brought him to the capital, he’d never known freedom; watched day and night, every action reported to Dong Zhuo.
“Rise, my loyal subjects and beloved officials.” Joy brightened Liu Xie’s face as he spoke, then he leaped from the carriage and ran into Wuyin County.
“Your Majesty!” Sun Jian hurried after him, followed by the other veteran generals.
In Sun Jian’s residence, the assembled commanders stood in rows. Before them was a map of Jing Province.
Sun Jian, grave-faced, asked the gathered officers, “How should our army take Jing Province?”
Cheng Pu stepped forward. “General, Liu Biao has mobilized all his troops to seize the rest of Jing Province. We can strike directly at Xiangyang and take it by storm!”
Huang Gai and Zu Mao agreed, “General, we have sixty thousand troops. Xiangyang has, at most, twenty thousand defenders. If we attack swiftly, we can surely seize the city!”
Sun Jian frowned slightly. “We have fought Liu Biao for years. You all know he is a master of defense. If we fail to breach Xiangyang before his reinforcements arrive, what then?”
The generals exchanged uneasy glances—one’s greatest understanding always comes from one’s adversary. Sun Jian, having long contested Changsha and other regions, knew Liu Biao’s talents: not ambitious for the empire, but peerless in holding territory. His skill in defense was truly formidable.
Sun Jian looked to the last in line, Jiang Wen. “Since it was you who proposed the Jing Province campaign, I trust you have a plan?”
Jiang Wen stepped out, bowed, and said, “I do have a plan. The army should advance to Xiangyang, but not fight!”
Sun Jian and the others were puzzled. “Not fight? Then why march on Xiangyang?”
“Our main force should approach Xiangyang to create a show of strength, while we secretly send twenty thousand elite cavalry through Yu Province, detouring by Lujiang. Yu Province is currently unclaimed, so there will be no resistance. The cavalry can then strike quickly towards Jiangxia, while our main force’s advance on Xiangyang will force Liu Biao to redeploy his garrisons.”
“Detour by Lujiang?”
Sun Jian shook his head. “Even for cavalry, that route would take weeks, not days. If Liu Biao does not redeploy his troops, would this not all be in vain?”
“Not so, General,” Jiang Wen replied. “If Liu Biao sends no reinforcements to Xiangyang, our cavalry can swiftly occupy Yu Province along the way. Even if the plan fails, we still gain Yu Province.”
“But if we assault Xiangyang head-on… Yuan Shu is a treacherous schemer, unreliable and faithless. An alliance is impossible. If we attack Xiangyang with all our strength, we play into his hands—he wants us and Liu Biao to weaken each other, so he can rise up, seize Jing Province, claim the Imperial Seal, and declare himself Emperor. I trust you see this as well.”
“So, my proposal is: if our split attack on Jing Province fails, we can withdraw and still gain Yu Province.”
Sun Jian’s eyes flashed thoughtfully but he said nothing.
Sun Ce then asked Jiang Wen, “Since Yuan Shu plots against us regardless, what’s the use of handing over the Imperial Seal?”
Jiang Wen answered, “If we do not give Yuan Shu the Imperial Seal, Liu Biao will offer him rich rewards to entice him to attack our rear. But even with great promises, Yuan Shu will not act until we and Liu Biao are both exhausted—he will simply wait and watch.”
The other veteran generals pondered—without Yuan Shu at their backs, taking Xiangyang would be easy. Their hesitation so far was precisely because Yuan Shu was behind them. They had seen his opportunistic nature during the war with Dong Zhuo—he was sure to take advantage of any chaos.
After a long silence, Sun Jian spoke. “Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Zu Mao, Lü Meng—hear my command! The four of you are to lead twenty thousand elite cavalry, departing at once, and detour through Yu Province. Cheng Pu will serve as commander, Zu Mao as deputy. The rest of the generals will act accordingly!”
In Xiangyang, Liu Biao was at his wits’ end as he faced Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang. “Sun Jian approaches with sixty thousand men to attack Xiangyang. They’ll reach Xinye by tomorrow. We should flee—cross the river and bide our time.”
Huang Zu, tall and broad-faced, replied fiercely, “I will not run! Sun Jian killed my favored general—I will fight him to the death!”
“My kinsmen all hold their own territory and refuse to send aid,” Liu Biao sighed bitterly. “Xiangyang has only twenty thousand men. Even though reinforcements from Jiangling and Jiangxia are on the way, it’s only six thousand more. How can twenty-six thousand stand against Sun Jian’s sixty thousand?”
Kuai Liang bowed and said, “I have a plan—we can seek aid from Yuan Shu!”
“Zirou, you do not understand. Yuan Shu and Sun Jian conspire together against Jing Province; how can we turn to him?”
Kuai Yue advised, “My lord, Yuan Shu is faithless. If we can sate his appetite for now, he will surely turn and bite Sun Jian instead!”
Liu Biao mused, “But the main road to Wancheng is already occupied by Sun Jian. How can we enter?”
“Envoy of the Emperor approaches!”
A eunuch with a sly face presented the imperial edict. “Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, receive the decree!”
“By the Emperor’s command: With Heaven’s blessing, I have reached Wuyin under the protection of the Grand General, bringing two hundred thousand civilians. Provisions are insufficient, so I command you to deliver one hundred thousand shi of grain to Wuyin immediately!”
Liu Biao snatched the decree, reading it carefully, hardly able to believe his ears. “Sun Jian brought two hundred thousand civilians as well? He truly means to attack Xiangyang?”
After sending off the imperial envoy, Kuai Yue advised, “Since Sun Jian requests grain, my lord should send him one hundred thousand shi. Sun Jian is now seen as a great loyalist by the people. As long as you show loyalty to the Emperor, Sun Jian will not attack.”
“First, it will placate Sun Jian. Second, it gives us an opportunity to secretly send people into Wancheng to meet with Yuan Shu. Third, we must immediately request aid from the governors of Wuling, Changsha, and other regions. Since Sun Jian does not attack Xiangyang directly, he intends to wear us down. Then let us wear him down in turn!”