Chapter 193: Da Yao’s Free-for-all
The situation in Bo Prefecture was just as Xuan Chong had anticipated from thousands of miles away. In the final year of the Tian You Calendar, Marshal Zhu and the other two fiefdoms finally submitted to the He Ming Imperial Court.
Xuan Chong here decided that next year’s calendar would follow the Tong Zheng Calendar, because the Wu Family Army recognized the Tong Zheng Emperor’s position.
Although there were significant conflicts between the Wu Family and Ning Prefecture where the Tong Zheng Emperor was located. But with Zhenzhou’s current power, there was no need to speculate on factions; its external stance only needed to consider what was most suitable for internal unity.
The political correctness in the Wu Family camp was “Son Inherits Father’s Business” rather than “Brother Succeeds Brother”.
Within Xuan Chong’s group, whether the Southern Border faction or the Chong Shui faction, their special favors all came from Wu Fei, and they all believed that only Wu Fei could take care of everyone’s interests.
As for the other disciples of the Wu Family, over these years under Xuan Chong’s leadership, the merits they established were no less than those of disciples from other families.
Therefore, “Brother Succeeds Brother” was absolutely not recognized within Xuan Chong’s group.
In other words, if Xuan Chong’s expedition had an accident and he suddenly kicked the bucket now, what the various factions in Chong Land valued most was who would control the merit book system for judging their own battle merits.
Whether the Wu Family’s own family members or those non-commissioned officers, they all believed that on major issues of public interest distribution among the factions, only Wu Lu could continue Wu Yuanchang’s rules.
Interests influence values! So what if Emperor Heming was ever so wise? What did it have to do with Xuan Chong’s group?
Within the Xuan Chong faction, there was no sight of any “wise younger brother” in their own ranks, nor any sign of Wu Lu being muddled; on the contrary, Wu Lu’s mother Wu Yang was also quite “wise”.
Therefore, Xuan Chong’s group from top to bottom had a very clear stance on the Son of Heaven’s family affairs at this time.
As for whether the Tong Zheng Emperor would inherit Emperor Ling’s spendthrift traits? The many generals: Anyway, it’s the Da Yao family that’s ruined, not ours.
…Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu eventually split the family…
Perspective back to near Bo Prefecture. After dragging on for ten days or half a month, Zhu Liqiang and other factions could not withstand the pressure from the Yao Capital side and nominally submitted. But even this nominal stance had already triggered the noble families of Bo Prefecture.
From top to bottom in Bo Prefecture, the representatives of the maintenance association all petitioned and submitted letters, demanding that the general take charge.
Because Marshal Zhu’s stance cut off many trade routes, even the grain ships trading ironware to the south were detained by some officials in Dai Commandery.
Back when Emperor Shu was in power, the entire Bo Prefecture was branded as Prince Bo’s faction. When northern foreign enemies were still present, the military and civilians of Bo Prefecture were systematically abandoned by the Da Yao system!
Later, after the Eastern Market Army submitted to Xuan Chong, the noble families of Bo Prefecture washed themselves clean and came ashore, while also recovering lost territory and ending the warfare and fallow conditions.
Among the many scholars and merchants in Bo Prefecture, there may be internal contradictions, but their attitude toward the Da Yao Imperial Court was quite unified right now: Now that we are strong in troops and horses, you from the Yao Capital side don’t come to coax this master, and want to continue with the pulling and stepping? Now directly letting the three fiefdoms adjacent to Bo Prefecture’s south turn against us? Outrageous.
In the thatched cottage system forum hosted by the Bo Prefecture local maintenance association, after the scholars exchanged views, they concluded: Originally, we in Bo Prefecture wanted to recuperate and did not want to get involved in the imperial court’s disputes. But the pseudo-court in the Yao Capital is acting like this, which is intolerable.
Thus, after waiting just a few days, as the three southern fiefdoms could not control the situation and expressed their attitude of obeying the decree to resist the north, without any regard for past sentiments.
Under Wu Hengyu’s command, there was already widespread indignation demanding to launch a punitive expedition; in the Huangyu City marketplace, whenever Yao Capital was mentioned, it was called the pseudo-court.
Under Wu Hengyu’s conscription, whether it was the southern disciples he originally brought, or the Eastern Market Army faction; the knights from Yan Land who had removed their armor and returned to civilian life were now conscripted again.
These guys who had grown saddle sores from three years without battle all put on their armor again, brought their servants, and even brought their teenage nephews to gather under Wu Hengyu.
Bo Prefecture’s total of six thousand battle soldiers assembled completely within three days.
…Old sentiments not copied into the new book…
Dai Commandery, at the Zhu Family Army here, was still completely unaware of this.
Zhu Liqiang spent five shichen every day feasting and watching song and dance, then spent one or two shichen looking at letters sent by other vassal lords from within Da Yao, and let go of other matters. — At this time, Zhu Liqiang had entered a state of closing his eyes and ears; the situations he knew were limited to the accounts of those “willing to write him letters”. Those situations that required his personal investigation were all ignored by him.
In this old general’s view: “I’ve fought battles for most of my life, can’t I rest a bit?”
Thinking about it, yes, Marshal Zhu spent the first half of his life in constant warfare, every day in hardship; now that foreign enemies have been eliminated, after tasting fine wine and delicacies, he suddenly felt life is short and needed to enjoy it timely.
Regarding this “life values”, Xuan Chong shook his head; retirement and retirement is fine, but power must be handed over.
As for why someone like Marshal Zhu didn’t want to hand over power? Xuan Chong understood very well: it was fear of loneliness. Used to having masses of people revolving around him, in old age he would be extremely unadapted to the coldness around him.
Zhu Liqiang, who rarely had any chivalrous spirit now, was very emotional. As his son Zhu Chong hurriedly burst into the banquet and informed him that the three southern fiefdoms jointly obeyed Emperor Heming, causing dissatisfaction among the northern Bo Prefecture populace.
Zhu Liqiang said indifferently: “I’ve already written to Wu Hengyu explaining it, and he didn’t object.”
Zhu Chong looked at his old father and was stunned. His father could still make clear judgments on the situation a few years ago, but now he was this muddled.
The past was the past; when Emperor Shu was in power, among the sixteen vassal lords, although there were cases of selling out allies, there was no “hurting friends”.
But now, the civil minister teams behind Ning Prefecture and Yu Prefecture had both issued proclamations calling for the suppression of rebels to Under Heaven; after the various troops received the proclamations, even if they refused to obey the decree, they were all rebels! In theory, each house could immediately go to war.
However, under his son Zhu Chong’s repeated narration, Zhu Liqiang insisted that he had written to Wu Hengyu and it was fine, so he continued watching the song and dance performance. (Elderly stubbornness under forceful persuasion turns into stubbornly saving face, refusing to yield)
Zhu Chong and other generals: Marshal Zhu had roughly confused the former Wu Fei with Wu Hengyu.
Back then, Wu Fei spoke nicely, calling him big brother every time, and in every communication pulled Zhu big brother’s emotional value to the max. When dividing spoils of war and awarding merits, he also gave face to his old brother. But Wu Hengyu was not like that.
…Troops attack…
Three days later, Marshal Zhu’s cup fell to the ground; Wu Hengyu led a large army directly to attack, and cannon fire was already coming from outside the city.
Wu Hengyu’s six thousand troops along with twenty thousand laborers surrounded Dai Commandery, with accompanying sky boats hoisting cannons to bombard the city battlements.
Then dragon horses landed on various city battlements. Since they had not anticipated being sieged, Marshal Zhu and the other two fiefdoms, in obeying Emperor Heming’s decree and guarding against Bo Prefecture, all thought they were “just putting on a show” and Wu Hengyu wouldn’t act, resulting in the city battlements not being prepared for siege.
After Zhu Liqiang re-armored himself, he thought in his heart, “If I had listened to advice earlier, why suffer like this today?” But he said nothing.
Under cannon fire cover, after three hundred men climbed the city wall, Zhu Chong led troops to meet them, but upon encountering Wu Hengyu, he was stabbed to death with one spear. Zhu Liqiang cried out in pain on the city battlement: “My son!”
Wu Hengyu was slightly stunned, realizing he had killed Marshal Zhu’s heir, but then thought, it was you who rebelled against me first. Thus, it was a fight to the death; he charged up aiming at Zhu Liqiang, Zhu Liqiang’s personal guards stepped forward to block but to no avail, and Zhu Liqiang himself was fifteen years older than Wu Hengyu, naturally unable to withstand him.
On the blazing city battlement, Wu Hengyu rose with the wind and finished Zhu Liqiang with another spear.
Dai Commandery City was thus taken, but upon entering the city afterward, Wu Hengyu did not spare the Zhu family members.
Wu Hengyu heeded his personal guard’s admonition and adhered to the principle of cutting the grass at the root, killing all the Zhu family members. — If not for the Eastern Market Army having a complete slave chain system, for a city that Wu Hengyu felt “could not end well”, he would have been even more extreme.
On the streets, with gongs and drums beating, Zhu family members led by ropes were taken to the vegetable market entrance. With the bamboo token thrown out, the executioners beheaded one head after another.
Wu Hengyu’s action caused considerable negative impact.
Zhu Liqiang was only muddled these past few years, but he treated his subordinate soldiers quite well. Moreover, Zhu Liqiang had shared the incense and fire of pacifying Bo Prefecture with the two Wu brothers back then, and Wu Hengyu’s lack of mercy created a chilling effect among all forces in Dai Commandery.
Hong Qiang looked at the Zhu family that had been exterminated and felt unwilling: If Wu Fei were here, this absolutely wouldn’t happen; accidentally killing Zhu Chong was unavoidable. But then executing Zhu Liqiang was not right.
If Wu Fei were present, he would definitely admonish Wu Hengyu to stay his hand, then treat this old brother well after the battle, at least on the surface.
Xuan Chong would entertain this childless old man with good food and drink, while having the Security Bureau monitor him. After digging over the original employees around Zhu Liqiang in Dai Commandery, then proceed. If Zhu Liqiang behaved, continue supporting this old brother; if Zhu Liqiang wanted to contact his old subordinates, then he would “die of grief over his son”.
Even if Wu Hengyu couldn’t hold back his blade and killed Zhu Liqiang on the battlefield, it wouldn’t be unacceptable. At worst, Wu Yuanchang could shamelessly cry in the city, howl a couple “my old brother”, squeeze out a few tears at the end, which could still win over a large number of neutral factions in Dai Commandery. After all, on the battlefield swords have no eyes, and as a general, Zhu Liqiang should be prepared for dying wrapped in horse leather due to inadequate skills.
Wu Hengyu chose to settle accounts with the group that had lost resistance after victory. This was the part that couldn’t be supported after Wu Fei let go.
…As for instilling obsession, there is a handle to grant…
On the other side in Hao State, Zhao Cheng also took further action: he renovated the palace in Xia Prefecture and moved King Hao in. — Adding the nine honors was nominal; relocating the Son of Heaven to one’s own control area was the real deal.
Zhao Cheng dispatched trusted aides with five hundred troops to “invite” the new monarch to Xia Prefecture.
Zhao Cheng locked the new emperor behind the gate, then arranged for people to deliver meals; obviously such behavior was undignified.
This also reflected that Zhao Cheng lacked experience in handling “incapacitated former lords”.
Zhao Cheng’s current operations were akin to the Spring and Autumn Warring States version. For example, Duke Huan of Qi, Jiang Xiaobai, was locked in the deep palace by favored ministers and sons in his later years, unable to speak; or during the Three Families’ Division of Jin, the three ministerial houses finally sealed Lord Jin in a small room, and feeling it insecure, let him die young.
The old monarch was a hot potato; what Zhao Cheng did was very undignified and extremely crude.
Xuan Chong commented: This completely mismatched his military strategy; this guy (Zhao Cheng) had a feeling of an uncultured drifter lacking culture.
Xuan Chong reviewed history and commented: The correct process should be to first abdicate, then enfeoff the old monarch as “xxx Duke”, see who during the dynastic change still harbored discontent and didn’t align with oneself; confirm that one’s own power system had all spat on the old monarch and submitted pledges of allegiance, then deal with the old monarch.
Although Xuan Chong was now on the southern expedition, through flying eagle messenger, northern intelligence was conveyed every three days. And Xuan Chong himself rode a mecha to return to Chong Land every fifteen days.
Xuan Chong was also watching Zhao Cheng’s major and minor actions; now it was clear Zhao Cheng had enough of the constantly renewing opposition and began fully controlling his monarch, taking the Cao Cao route. Now, any silk girdle edict that King Hao could leak would fall into Zhao Cheng’s hands.
Xuan Chong’s historical records described it this way: After the Eastern Han, in the late Tang Five Dynasties, when the capital fell and the Son of Heaven fled, central authority plummeted sharply; the core was that in the power system centered on the Son of Heaven, once the high-level talents around the Son of Heaven disappeared, it could not be filled. So the Son of Heaven losing ministers equaled losing power. Tang ministers could maintain sufficient dignity. There was even Wei Zheng who argued with the monarch, because even someone as strong as Li Shimin couldn’t replenish after losing his core team.
After the Song, it was different; the imperial examination system standardized a nationwide mechanism centered on the Son of Heaven for sea-selecting local talents every four years.
Even if the Son of Heaven lost the state, the legitimacy of opening examinations to select scholars and absorbing talents allowed local noble families to refill the central vacancies and form a team.
Thus, Song and Qing emperors could still hold power after fleeing; Han and Tang Sons of Heaven rapidly lost power after leaving the capital.
Han and Tang ministers had dignity, Ming and Qing ministers were like family slaves without dignity. It wasn’t some cultural mixing with barbarian winds, but the power structure becoming increasingly perfected in the development of centralization.
So after seeing Zhao Cheng’s flustered state as a usurping minister, from the perspective of a centralizer: Schools must be established everywhere, with exams to practice a standardized selection system.
The teaching aid effect of “Zhao Cheng” was good; after witnessing the various operations of a high-ability ambitious man in handling political issues, Xuan Chong became even more firmly convinced of the threads in historical development.
…Perspective back to inside Da Yao…
Wu Hengyu took Dai Commandery and swiftly launched attacks on the other two warlords, who knew they couldn’t withstand Wu Hengyu’s southward six thousand tiger and wolf troops and twenty thousand laborer troops, so they all sought aid from Yao Capital City.
And in this battle where Bo Prefecture flipped the table, the Yao Capital that had been constantly stirring the fire suddenly went silent.
Ji Yan, originating from within Yao Capital, was skilled in power struggles but not in military affairs.
Facing Wu Hengyu’s attack, Ji Yan immediately wanted to issue an order labeling Wu Hengyu as rebel army, but was ultimately dissuaded by others!
The core of power struggles is to squeeze opponents out of the power center, then build layer upon layer of “protective belts” centered on oneself.
This kind of protective belt composed of under heaven articles cannot block the city walls of real sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.
Ji Yan believed that having the three northern vassal fiefdoms stand on his side and express support would solve the Eastern Market Army’s disloyalty issue in Bo Prefecture.
Little did he know that the three vassal fiefdoms thought the Yu Prefecture troops occupying Yao Capital would fully resolve the Eastern Market Army problem and required their cooperation!
Back to the current Yao Capital situation, Yu Prefecture indeed had no troops now, because just as the Eastern Market Army came south to seize cities and territory, refugee unrest appeared near Yu Prefecture.
This refugee unrest was obviously supported by other vassal lords, as these refugees turned into a dense mass of three or four thousand peasant army, dressed in rags holding dung forks, starting to rob on the roads.
Yu Prefecture’s troops had to go suppress the rebellion, but on the seventeenth of the third month, Yu Prefecture troops were calculated against.
Yu Prefecture troops arrived at the official road to Heluo to strike the bandits, but it didn’t go smoothly from the start.
The bandits had gathered fully ten thousand; though numerous, the Yu Prefecture generals believed their three thousand elite soldiers could easily handle these rebels; thus they dispatched infantry phalanx to press frontally, then had cavalry prepare on the flanks.
When Yu Prefecture’s three teams of iron floating figures, about two hundred fifty cavalry, appeared on the bandits’ flank, the ground trembled under the hooves. The peasant army, without much training, did not collapse but formed a hedgehog formation. This was clearly no ordinary bandits.
At fifty paces in front of the formation, Yu Prefecture troops encountered horse traps, losing a third of their iron hooves; then this peasant army raised the Tong Zheng Emperor’s flag and bristled up.
Yu Prefecture’s iron armored cavalry still crushed through; the peasant army’s spears snapped with a crack under the iron armor.
And the bandits under the horses’ impact flew several meters high like broken dolls. The iron armored cavalry smashed through three ranks like shrapnel, causing a “major fracture” inside the formation; the terror from the impact spread beyond the three ranks, triggering a great collapse.
This group of bandits fled, but did not scatter, withdrawing along the official road.
When Yu Prefecture troops pursued the fleeing, they encountered an encirclement of fully twenty thousand; the Yu Prefecture army was horrified to discover it was troops from the eastern Lanzhou vassal lords!
The great free-for-all era of the vassal lords began.
Note: The peasant uprising army that Yu Prefecture troops encountered was the cause planted when Wu Hengyu cleared the lakes and marshes, slaying demons and removing evil; in these chaotic times, Yu Li dispatched her own family troops that had pledged allegiance to Wu Hengyu to come south and incite civilian unrest. As for the eastern vassal lords, they had long been displeased with Yu Prefecture.
