Chapter 73

Chapter 73

[The Male Chauvinist’s Victory – 14]

Lady Lu spent an entire month secluded in her courtyard, eating vegetarian meals and chanting Buddhist sutras. Once the month was over, however, she emerged with a splash and regained Liu Che’s favor. With Li Jiangyue pregnant and resting to protect her unborn child, while Li Jiangxue remained confined to her courtyard, Lady Lu became unrivaled in the Yan household’s inner residence for a time.

She was sensible enough to know that the mistress of the household had deliberately raised her up. The next day, she went to pay her respects to Li Jiangyue and repeatedly thanked her for the kindness. Only after attending Li Jiangyue through lunch did she take her leave.

The matron saw her out with a smile, then said to Li Jiangyue, “At least she knows how to appreciate a kindness. She understands how much effort Madam has put into helping her.”

Leaning against a cushion, Li Jiangyue said gently, “She is a pitiable woman too. If she causes no trouble, why should I make things difficult for her?”

There were only five women in the Yan household’s inner residence. Li Jiangxue was no cause for concern, and Lady Lu was not someone who liked to stir up trouble. As for the pair of beauties who had been found some time ago, they were even easier to handle. Their indenture contracts were still in Li Jiangyue’s hands, so they understood all the better that they must behave cautiously.

There was no need for Li Jiangyue to see danger everywhere.

…

At the end of the fourth month, the Shouzhou government office finally approved the proposal to rebuild the official roads. After on-site surveys, eight principal official roads within the prefecture and its commanderies were selected for repairs. Peasants were conscripted for the work before the summer harvest began.

Far to the south of Jiankang, meanwhile, the situation in Yongzhou continued to deteriorate as the weather grew hotter.

The dynasty had been established for nearly two hundred years. As time passed, the great aristocratic clans had grown ever more powerful, while ever more commoners at the bottom were subjected to their exploitation. Land annexation and exorbitant taxes pressed down on the people like two great mountains, leaving them unable to raise their heads. In many prefectures and commanderies south of Jiankang, commoners seeking to escape onerous corvée and taxes would even willingly sell their entire families into slavery. One could well imagine how acute the conflict between local officials and the lowest strata had become.

When Chen Xian first rose in revolt, Qian Lun, the Inspector of Yongzhou, was captured. The local magnates watched with indifference, hoping to use Chen Xian’s hand to get rid of Qian Lun. Yet after only a few days of indulgence, Chen Xian’s forces had snowballed. By the time they wished to restrain him, it was already too late.

After taking Yongzhou, Chen Xian ordered the execution of the local magnates and seized their family wealth for his own use. Soon afterward, he raised the slogan “Kill the magnates and divide the land.” Those six simple words were enough to move the people. Followers responded from every direction, and in less than half a month his force numbered fifty thousand. He conquered several prefectures in succession, his momentum overwhelming.

The Southern Dynasty had seen little warfare within its borders for nearly a century. Most of its elite armies were stationed in the north to guard against an invasion by the Northern Dynasty. When war suddenly broke out in places like Yongzhou, which had enjoyed peace for more than a hundred years, how could it be extinguished at once?

Those regions had also become prosperous after generations of development. Most of their officials came from eminent Jiankang families and thought only of polishing their official reputations before returning comfortably to the central government in Jiankang. When had they ever witnessed a crisis like this?

Thus, within a month, Chen Xian and his troops swept forward irresistibly. They entered Shangrao first, then broke through Dongyang. By the end of the fourth month, the flames of war had reached Kuaiji.

Chen Xian even declared, “I am a man granted this mandate by Heaven. I can seize the realm of Southern Liang and replace it!”

Together with several trusted advisers, Liu Che drew a map of Chen Xian’s advance and analyzed it carefully from beginning to end. He was utterly speechless. “They are high officials entrusted with entire regions, yet not one of them could withstand a single exchange with Chen Xian? In my view, every chief official along his route who fled at the mere sight of him ought to be executed. If not for the cowardice and timidity of these people, how could the situation have deteriorated this far?”

Wan Qiao, the Inspector of Kuaiji, came from the eminent Wan Family of Jiankang and was the Empress’s older brother. When Chen Xian’s troops advanced directly upon Kuaiji, he abandoned his wife and children and fled without a fight. If even the inspector behaved so, how could anyone else in the commandery possess the will to fight?

Kuaiji had simply been handed over.

More laughably still, despite committing such a grave offense, Wan Qiao escaped punishment because of the Wan Family and the Empress. He was presently recuperating at home and refusing all visitors.

Liu Che had always known that the Southern Dynasty prized literary culture and was weak in military affairs, but incompetence on this scale left him at a loss for words.

Qu Guangqi said, “The court presently has a shortage of capable commanders. The veterans are old, while the younger generation is not yet ready to shoulder great responsibilities. My lord may soon receive a message from Jiankang ordering you south to suppress Chen Xian’s rebellion.”

Liu Che gave a derisive laugh and pushed forward the letter Li Dongshan had sent from Jiankang. “Your guess is perfectly correct, sir. I expect the decree from Jiankang is already on its way.”

A fast horse needed only two days to travel from Jiankang to Shouzhou. With the situation in Kuaiji deteriorating so drastically, the envoy would likely give Liu Che little time to prepare. He might have to depart the very day the envoy arrived.

Fortunately, everything in Shouzhou was already running on the proper track. It needed only to continue according to established practice. With his trusted followers assisting from within and the collateral branches of the Li Family lending support from without, no trouble was likely to arise.

Liu Che immediately returned home and told Li Jiangyue that he would soon head south to suppress the rebels. He instructed her to take good care of everything in the household, then, after a few moments’ thought, added, “I’m taking Guan Pu with me this time. Guan Sheng will remain at home.”

Li Jiangyue had long since heard of Chen Xian’s rebellion in Yongzhou. She had even wondered whether her husband might be transferred to suppress it if the situation became unmanageable. Thus, she was not especially surprised when she heard the news. She merely said, “Go without worry, Husband. I will take care of everything at home.”
After speaking, she placed a protective talisman in his palm. “I asked for this at the temple a few days ago. Take it with you, Husband. My younger sisters and I will remain at home and pray for blessings every day, hoping that you return victorious as soon as possible.”

Even at full speed, the journey from Shouzhou to Kuaiji would probably take five days. Once he was away on campaign, there was no telling when it would end.

Liu Che stroked her belly, which had not yet begun to show, and sighed. “You must take good care of yourself too. The journey will be long and distant. I don’t know whether I can return before this child is born.”

Li Dongshan had sent word to Shouzhou one day in advance, and that was the only advantage Liu Che had gained. He settled all the household affairs that day. The next day, an envoy from Jiankang arrived on a galloping horse and proclaimed a decree appointing Yan Hongguang, Inspector of Shouzhou, acting Governor-General of Yongzhou and ordering him south to suppress the rebellion.

Liu Che accepted the decree, immediately bade farewell to his family, selected five thousand elite troops and several trusted advisers, and set out for Kuaiji.

Though Yan Hongguang was a young rising star, his name was already renowned throughout the realm.

The reason was simple. Aside from him, who else had twice repelled the Northern Dynasty’s advance and prevented it from campaigning south?

Because of him, the Northern Dynasty had not even held its customary annual raid south the previous year. It had remained meekly north of the Huai River, greatly relieving everyone in Jiankang.

Before Liu Che set out for Kuaiji, Chen Xian had been so arrogant that he even uttered the Crime of Great Disrespect by proclaiming, “I can become the Son of Heaven.” Upon hearing that the renowned Inspector of Shouzhou had been appointed Governor-General of Yongzhou and was marching south, he immediately changed his tune. “Even if I hold only the territory of Yongzhou, I can still emulate Goujian and rule as king over my own domain.”

It sounded very much like the stubborn quacking of a doomed duck. Liu Che merely laughed when he heard it. He and his men rode hard for five days and finally reached Shangyu at the beginning of the fifth month. It was the city where the Southern Dynasty’s forces confronted Chen Xian’s army.

As soon as Liu Che arrived outside Shangyu, he saw a man waiting to welcome him. The man was stout and wore a broad smile. Perhaps because the weather was rather hot, a fine layer of sweat covered his forehead. Upon seeing Liu Che, he came forward with great familiarity and addressed him as his worthy nephew.

Liu Che dismounted and exchanged smiling greetings with him. “It has been years, Uncle, but you look as distinguished as ever.”

The visitor was none other than Li Dongan, the full paternal uncle of the Li sisters and Li Dongshan’s younger full brother.

This time, he had been appointed General of the Guard and was nominally the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the rebel Chen. In reality, however, everyone knew that when the fighting began, he would have to rely on this nephew-in-law.

Over the past two years, Li Dongshan had helped Liu Che a great deal. He had shielded him from both open and covert attacks by the court, vigorously supported his policies, vouched for him, and occasionally praised him before the emperor to keep his name in imperial view. This was not because Li Dongshan was kindhearted or fond of charity. It was purely an exchange of interests.

The Li Family occupied a place in the central government and greatly needed the support of an upstart military commander in the provinces. At the same time, members of the Li Family and their old friends and associates needed an effective avenue for earning military merit, which could serve as a stepping-stone to further advancement at court.

It was mutually beneficial, nothing more.

Li Dongan had met Liu Che only a handful of times, yet now he behaved as affectionately as if they were father and son. After they traded a round of flattering compliments, Li Dongan introduced the middle-aged scholar beside him. “Jin Miao, Commandant of Kuaiji.”

Liu Che politely cupped his hands. “Commandant Jin.”

Jin Miao looked arrogant. He gazed down at Liu Che and gave a casual nod. “Governor-General Yan.”

Kuaiji was an upper commandery. Its inspector held the upper fourth rank, while the commandant, as the inspector’s deputy, held the lower fourth rank-the same rank as Liu Che’s original office.

At present, however, Liu Che was concurrently serving as Governor-General of Yongzhou, an office of the lower third rank. Even if the appointment was only acting, he was still Jin Miao’s superior. Why, then, was the man so discourteous?

Liu Che had saluted him because the Jin Family was one of Jiankang’s foremost eminent clans, because Jin Miao wielded local influence, and because he had come to welcome Liu Che alongside Li Dongan. Now that his courtesy had met such cold disdain, Liu Che sneered inwardly.

Li Dongan’s expression also darkened when he saw the undisguised contempt on Jin Miao’s face. For some reason, however, he did not show his anger. Only after Jin Miao had departed, leaving the two of them alone, did he say, “Jin Miao has always been arrogant because of his family background. There is no need to pay him any mind, worthy nephew. Let us see when he climbs too high and suffers a heavy fall!”

The Li Family already possessed an illustrious pedigree, but the Jin Family stood even higher. Jin Miao’s great-grandfather had served as a palace attendant, while his grandfather and uncle had both been Chief Minister of the Secretariat. The enormous Secretariat had almost become the Jin family’s private domain. Madam Wei’s full elder sister had married into the Jin Family as well. With such an eminent lineage, it was little wonder that Jin Miao was so overbearing and looked down upon everyone.

Liu Che was young, but he was not hotheaded. Given his present status and resources, even with the Li Family behind him, it would be unwise to make an enemy of the Jin Family. He merely nodded faintly, committed the man’s name to memory, and pretended not to care. “Rest assured, Uncle. I know what I am doing and will never quarrel with him over a moment’s anger.”

Li Dongan was quite gratified to see that he understood the situation so readily. After exchanging a few words about the Li Family, he summoned the generals and officials to formally discuss the campaign.

Before coming, Liu Che had memorized maps of Kuaiji, Shangyu, and the surrounding region. Now that he had arrived and compared them against Li Dongan’s intelligence, he quickly formed a plan.

Chen Xian had managed to advance all the way to Kuaiji largely because the region had enjoyed peace for so long that its military readiness had grown lax. Its soldiers had no will to fight and collapsed at the first touch. Yet on careful reflection, Chen Xian’s soldiers came from this same region. How formidable could they possibly be?

He had merely gathered a group of refugees and tenant farmers with nowhere else to go. They were not an army of divine soldiers. How could they be as terrifying as Kuaiji’s officials had claimed in their memorials begging for aid?
What the city lacked was not soldiers, but courage and the will to fight. His arrival-Yan Hongguang, the ever-victorious general-could supply precisely that deficiency.

Chen Xian was presently stationed in Kuaiji, with Anyang lying between it and Shangyu.

Liu Che ordered the banner of Yan Hongguang, Governor-General of Yongzhou, to be raised. He selected two thousand men from his own five thousand elite troops and mixed in three thousand soldiers from Shangyu. Then, leading from the front, he marched west to attack Anyang.

Anyang was only a small city to begin with, and its garrison numbered merely a few thousand. Seeing from afar a banner bearing the name Yan Hongguang, Governor-General of Yongzhou, the defenders immediately thought of retreat. When they saw the enemy approaching in great numbers, how could they dare hold the city?

Because Chen Xian’s military law was harsh, the defending general forced himself to muster his courage and rode out to fight. In fewer than three exchanges, he was cut down from his horse. Anyang was recovered, and the morale of the Southern Liang army soared.

Liu Che led his troops into the city and used Anyang as a base from which to press toward Kuaiji. Seeing their first battle end in victory and morale rise sky-high, Li Dongan was delighted. He eagerly ran over to cling to his nephew-in-law’s thigh, then ordered Jin Miao, the former Commandant of Kuaiji, to garrison Shangyu against a surprise attack by Chen’s rebels.

After taking Anyang, Liu Che did not hurry to advance. He ordered his troops to hold the city and personally drilled them.

Chen Xian had long known Yan Hongguang’s reputation and inevitably felt uneasy at the news. After suffering the disastrous defeat at Anyang, his anxiety deepened. When scouts reported that Yan Hongguang was training his troops inside Anyang, he could no longer sit still. Disputes arose within his ranks. Some advocated retreating west, others fleeing south, but no one advocated advancing on Anyang.

Chen Xian himself was intimidated by the prospect of facing Yan Hongguang, so he did not harshly rebuke his generals. Instead, he changed his tune yet again. “When facing a fierce general of the age like Yan Hongguang, there is no shame even in fleeing in defeat.”

He personally donned armor and went among his generals and soldiers to raise their spirits, but the effect was mediocre.

Upon first reaching Shangyu, Liu Che had led his soldiers to capture Anyang, halting in one stroke the despondency caused by their earlier string of defeats. After drilling his troops for a month and seeing the first results, he led them out under cover of night and launched a ferocious attack upon Chen Xian’s rebels in Kuaiji.

He had repeatedly achieved great merit over the past two years and now concurrently held the post of Governor-General of Yongzhou. If he won a decisive victory in this battle, the lower-third-rank office of governor-general would surely be his permanently. Since he and the Li Family were exchanging benefits and he was helping Li Dongan win credit, there was no need for him to handle every matter personally.

Thus, after Chen Xian led his followers in retreat, Liu Che ordered the neighboring prefectures and counties to remain vigilant. He then sent Li Dongan to lead the pursuit and strike the fleeing enemy while he remained in Kuaiji to handle the aftermath. Yet events never unfolded entirely according to one man’s wishes.

Early the next morning, Liu Che received word that Shangyu had been plundered by Chen’s rebels the previous night. Jin Miao and his entire family had been killed by Chen Xian.

Liu Che remained stunned for nearly a quarter of an hour before saying in disbelief, “Didn’t I order every commandery and county to remain on guard? Shangyu had more than ten thousand troops stationed there. Chen Xian commanded nothing but a fleeing rabble. How did he break into Shangyu and kill Jin Miao’s entire family?”

His subordinate wore a complicated expression and replied in a muffled voice, “Commandant Jin was a devout Daoist. He claimed he could communicate with ghosts and gods and had already borrowed ten thousand divine soldiers to garrison outside the city. Thus, he gave no order for Shangyu to establish additional defenses. The city fell last night, and he was killed.”

Liu Che: “…”

Was this fellow certain he had not come here solely to provide comic relief?

Liu Che wanted to roll his eyes so hard they disappeared into his skull.

Nor was that the only bad news. Before long, a scout arrived with word that Chen Xian had escaped. He and a group of trusted generals and soldiers had fled by ship to islands off the coast, where their whereabouts were difficult to trace.

Suppressing the urge to explode, Liu Che asked as calmly as he could, “Didn’t the General of the Guard lead troops in pursuit? How did he allow the rebel Chen to escape?”

The scout reported, “While Chen Xian was fleeing in panic, he ordered his men to abandon their plundered goods, jewels, and beautiful women. The General of the Guard inevitably…”

Liu Che: “…”

Liu Che chose to roll his eyes all the way to the back of his head.