Founding of Eastern Han: 东汉， 昆阳之战 Pt.2 The Hour of Destiny

The 27 year old Liu Xiu had no intention of ruling anything beyond his farms,  no ambition to restore the fallen Han Dynasty of his ancestors. He was contented with his life as a farmer. But for his brother, he joined the fight and rode into a realm in flames. Where Liu Xiu did not dare, his elder brother Liu Yan rose up to restore the fallen Han Dynasty. After all, didn't the prophecy- (which was retold throughout much of rural China) state that a scion of the usurped imperial Liu clan will once again become emperor? 

Thus Liu Xiu left the comforts of his old life. Little did the two brothers know, that the journey ahead was anything but what they had probably expected. They would become sworn brothers to outlaws, topple an empire, conquer a realm of warlords, and one of them would become one of the most remarkable of Chinese Emperors. 

Music: Mandate of Heaven (大道废有仁义)

The year was 22 AD, in the area of Chongling (modern Hubei Province) 2 brothers and their band of boyhood friends conspired to topple the deeply unpopular Xin dynasty. The Xin had been established by an usurper- Wang Mang, who through Machiavellian ploys had purged many Han imperial princes from succession and stole the throne for himself. Soon, many across the realm felt his heavy handed policies. Upon hearing of a much repeated prophecy which stated that a member of the deposed imperial clan would again sit on the empire's throne- the young master of the family, Liu Yan planned to rise up in open rebellion with his band of childhood friends. 

THE END OF INNOCENCE- UPRISING 

Two brothers, one content to stay a land owning farmer, while another was deeply called by 

the great turmoils of their times. The blood of ancient kings stirred in their veins, and a

prophecy had stated that a descendant of the deposed Han dynasty would sit once 

again on the dragon throne.

In the 2 years before 22 AD, there were already a number of great peasant rebellions that had exploded across the countryside against the Xin rule, now, Liu Yan and his younger brothers Liu Zhong, Liu Xiu, and a circle of their close friends also sought to make their bid by restoring the deposed Han dynasty. 

Their planned uprising started out miserably, originally, the brothers and their friends had laid elaborate plans to kidnap the governor of the important Nanyang Commandery (modern Nanyang, Henan) - which laid at the heart of the empire. After this is achieved, they would call for the other oppressed people in the commandery to rise up and join them. However, their plans were leaked, and the brother's friends Li Tong and Li Yi barely escaped with their lives (however, their families were hunted down and slaughtered by Xin soldiers). With no way to return to their idyllic former lives, the comrades fled their homes with their surviving families, with the hope of seeking out other major rebel groups for protection. 

After this metaphorical crossing of the Rubicon. Under the leadership of Liu Yan, Liu Zhong, and Liu Xiu, they assembled quite a number of distant relatives, retainers and local magnates into a band called the Chongling army 舂陵军 (Chongling- denotes the area in modern  Xiangyang, Hubei Province south of central China) Many others also joined this army because of the prophecy of a Han restoration that was spread throughout the countrysides. After publicly declaring their intentions to overthrow Xin, the brothers joined the nearby Lulin rebels- who from time to time was active in the northern Hubei region and had some successes in defeating Xin imperial troops on the battlefield.

THE STRICKEN LULIN- THE GREEN FOREST OUTLAWS

The Lulin rebels had started out as mere bandits and ostracized farmers driven to the life of outlawdry and desperation by the many crippling economic and tax policies that had deprived them of their livelihood. They soon became a gathering band of roving rebels and began to attack local magistrates, they looted from local villages, and abducted women across the region. After several years, the band ballooned to over 50,000 men and made their headquarters at the Lulin Mountains ("Green Forest")- from where the band derived its name.

In 21 AD, the governor of Jing Province mobilized 20,000 soldiers to attack the Lülin rebels, and a battle was pitched at Yundu (云杜). The battle became a major victory for the rebels, where the Lulin killed thousands of government soldiers and captured their food supply and arms.

Despite their brazen raids and field battles, many Lulin bands did not dare to attack walled Xin cities in Hubei for fear of retaliation from imperial troops. Before the arrival of Liu Yan, most of the Lulin rebels laid low after a devastating plague had wiped out half (over 25,000) of their ranks and splintered them into 3 bands all with different bandit leaders.

Music: Zheng Jiang (郑姜)

LEADING THE GREEN FOREST OUTLAWS

Owing to Liu Yan's lineage and his innate charisma, the beleaguered and fragmented faction of Lulin outlaws soon coalesced around the cause of a Han restoration. However, despite having stricken this alliance, they were still strangers in their dealings. Liu Yan's legitimacy had to be earned.

However, with the coming of Liu Yan's Chongling Army, and the prophecy that promised a Han restoration under a Liu Emperor, many of the stricken Lulin rebels soon rallied around the leadership of Liu Yan. In which he agreed to become their leader. Like all such brotherly pacts, it was a marriage of practical convenience where the weakened party sought to gain favorable advances by hitching with an ascending regime. With the confident leadership of Liu Yan, they quickly captured a number of nearby villages. Instead of simply roving and raiding, the Lulin began to capture territories in earnest and staffing them with local garrisons.

In the winter of AD 22, the ambitious Liu Yan decided to make a frontal assault against Wancheng, the fortified capital of Nanyang Commandery (southwestern Henan.) Unfortunately, the assault failed and the Lulin suffered major losses at the hand of Zhen Fu (甄阜), the governor of Nanyang. Zhen was merciless in his pursuit of the defeated rebels and harried them until a staggering amount of casualties mounted. Liu Xiu and Liu Yan barely survived the pursuit of the Xin soldiers, but their middle brother Liu Zhong and sister Liu Yuan were killed by Xin soldiers. 

The Lulin rebels took the defeat bitterly, and both of the major factions of the rebels under Liu Yan's command protested by threatening to abandon Liu Yan and his mission. However, it was during this time that another previously separated band of Lulin rebels joined the disheartened camp. The leaders of this band were personally convinced of Liu Yan's potential to carry them to victory and pledged their support to Liu Yan and Liu Xiu. With this move, the two previously shaken bands were swayed to flow Liu Yan's lead again.

LIU YAN'S REVENGE

Under Liu Yan's renewed command, the forces then made a surprise attack on Zhen's rear, seizing all of reserve food and arms of the government force. Furthermore, on the Chinese New Year of 23 AD, Liu Yan decisively crushed Zhen's forces and killed him and his lieutenants in battle. They then besieged Wancheng in earnest. Suddenly, the southern approach to the major imperial city of Luoyang laid wide open in Lulin's hands. 

Emboldened by the victory, the Lulin leaders began to claim for themselves the title of generals, seize nearby cities, deputized local commanders and administrators, created governmental organizations, and send out massed propaganda attacking Wang Mang. The rebels had now made themselves into a more professional army. What's more it was an army with a governing caste and a dedicated political aim, to seat one of their own as the future Han Emperor. 

Unfortunately for the man of the hour- Liu Yan, the future Han emperor would not be HIM. In fact, this new claimant to the Han throne had not been introduced in our story yet. For the Lulin had found another candidate that's...more suited to fill that position as their puppet: the future "Gengshi Emperor" Liu Xuan

BYPASSED: ENTER THE PERFECT PUPPET

By this point, many other rebel leaders had become jealous of Liu Yan's capabilities, instead, they looked for another. The candidate the Lulin rebels had in mind was one of the minor rebels in the region. His name was Liu Xuan and- like the other Liu Claimant to the throne, was also intent on seizing the throne with his small rebel army. After learning of his lineage and more importantly, his value as a political asset. Some factions of the Lulin rebels began to seriously consider him as a good candidate for the restored Han throne. Their logic laid in the rather weak- willed and petty character of Xuan. Unlike the fiery Liu Yan, this Liu Xuan was easily susceptible to be influenced. And for small rebels, here lies in a golden once in a century oppurtunity- What if they were able to have a puppet emperor of their own?

Compared to the strong willed and bold Liu Yan- who, upon assumption of the throne would doubtlessly become just another haughty sovereign, utterly beyond influence. What if this time, the long neglected peasants would have a puppet emperor of their own? Where they would essentially control the government and rule through this elevated Liu Xuan as Emperor? Wouldn't this be a game changer and allow them to continue to reap preferential benefits through this regime? The prospect to influence proved to be too tantalizing, and through a vote, in early 23 AD the majority of rebel factions outvoted Liu Yan and instead chose Liu Xuan as their official- backed candidate for the Han throne.

Liu Yan was very upset by this turn of events, and naturally this also greatly displeased a good deal of Lulin rebels who had come to deeply respect Liu Yan's leadership. But because existing bonds of prior brotherhood eclipses that of his influence, and because Lulin simply needed a Liu- named candidate for the throne, Yan- as an outsider was in no position to seriously challenge this decision. After all, even the popular prohpecy simply promised that a Liu would return to the Han throne, any Liu will do apparently. Thus, Liu Yan, previously the man of the hour submitted to Lulin's decision to bypass him for Xuan.

Liu Xuan became the new Gengshi Emperor of Han, while as a compromise, Liu Yan became his Prime Minister, and Liu Xiu was made Chamberlain for Ceremonies (taichang 太常). Thereafter, the Green Forest Army declared itself the Han army, with a mission for the full restoration of the Han dynasty. The reconstitution of a Han army would set the stage for one of the most decisive battles in all of Chinese history.

Music: Dong Zhuo (董贼潜怀)

THE FULL MIGHT OF THE USURPER- XIN'S IMPERIAL FIST

By the March of 23. AD, Wang Mang had became irascible and paranoid in his capital. Xin experienced many boarder wars with nearly all of the outlying kingdoms and tribes surrounding the empire. Because of this, taxes had became very burdensome. Several major floods and storms had convinced many of Xin subjects that Wang had lost his Mandate of Heaven. When many of his former loyal retainers tried to convince him to abandon his rule and abdicate he had several of them executed and forced the rest to commit suicide. Now, the empire was wracked with revolts in all key sectors of the realm. Desperate to crush the massive gathering of rebel armies, Wang Mang threw the full iron might of the empire toward the new Han army. According to the "Book of Han," as much as 420,000 soldiers bore down upon the coming Han soldiers under the personal command of Wang Mang's cousin Wang Yi (王邑) and his prime minister Wang Xun (王寻) Sima Guang's  "Zhizhitongjian" even went as far to claim that it was over 430,000.

The unraveling of Xin, by 23 AD, most of central China was in full rebellion. The 2 major rebel groups, the Red Eyebrows (Chimei) (Red) and the Lulin (now rebranded as the new Han army under the nominal leadership of Liu Xuan) (Gold) have made major forays and claimed the most densely populated parts of the empire. Desperate, Wang Mang sent out his last armies to vanquish the rebels in Henan, it was do or die foe both side of the contenders.

To preface the battle, it's important to examine some of the figures presented in the records, because the "Book of Han"'s figures are almost certainly heavily exaggerated. The possible reason for this is because Wang Mang himself called his massive army his "百万军"- literally translated as, "The Million Men Army," dedicated to knock out his foes in Henan with one fell swoop. Han records presented the Xin with around 420,000 soldiers while pitting the Han army at around 9,000 soldiers. In the latter part of the dynasty, the "Records of Eastern Han" presented the figures to a more acceptable figure of some 70,000 soldiers on Xin's side (which is very likely,) and roughly 10,000 to even 17,000 soldiers on Han's side. Further differences in numbers were presented by later Song dynasty historians to 60,000 on Xin's side. The very liberal number of 420,000 was almost definitely exaggerated, however, even at the strength of a conservative estimate of 60-70,000 it was still the full might of the Xin imperial fist. 

Comparatively it was better trained and equipped against the masses of rebel soldiers, who were little more than outlaws and farmers. So the capacity of the Xin should not be underestimated. Neither should the determination for Wang Mang to utterly crush this immediate threat. What Wang Mang had launched was a committed fatal blow, and the numbers, medium estimates still ballparked that he could have throw at around 100,000 soldiers as his imperial fist against the Han. On the receiving end of this imperial fist? The 28 year old youth who would take this mighty blow was a character we have not followed for a while, the younger brother of Liu Yan, Liu Xiu.

THE HOUR OF LIU XIU

THE BATTLE OF KUNYANG- (23. AD)

The beginning of this cutthroat and very lopsided fight started very poorly for the young Liu Xiu. For since entering into the central plains in Henan, the new Han army had divided itself in two so that they can more quickly take the many nearby towns. Worse yet, in order to spread out and take more towns, Liu Xiu and his men became further seperated from his elder brother in their attempt to take the nearby castles of Kunyang. It is with this matryoshka of subdivisions that when troubles came the ensuing battle had such a high contrast of numbers. In the May of 23. AD, it became the great misfortune for Liu Xiu that he became the first Han army to make contact with the coming Xin wrecking ball. 

When the Xin army was first sighted, Liu Xiu- usually known for his caution and wisdom made a very surprising decision. That instead of repositioning themselves and rejoining their allies, Liu and his 9,000 men would abandon some of their recent gains and take shelter behind the recently taken Xunyang castle and wait for reinforcements. This decision astounded many of his followers, with many questioning the sanity of rooting themselves in this death trap against such an overwhelming host. Many of the Lulin rebels wanted to scatter and retreat to Jingzhou but Liu Xiu opposed it.

Liu Xiu responded with the argument that in the open, they will have no chance of defeating the imperial army, especially when they are still scattered and lacked coordination. However, by being concentrated together, and to have these walls around them as force nullifiers for the enemy-, it will give them a fighting chance. In delaying the Xin imperial fist by trapping them here, it would free up other Han rebels to rejoin them in battle. After selecting his best soldiers to man the walls and appointed his most trusted commanders to lead them, Liu Xiu declared that he would ride out and promised to gather all other available troops in the surrounding counties to aid Kunyang, swearing that upon the decisive hour, he would lead his relief and smash them against the besiegers rears. Having explained his reasons, Liu Xiu ordered his soldiers ready themselves for a bitter siege. As the Xin forces closed in, Liu Xiu led 13 of his horsemen out of Kunyang during the night to rally reinforcements from the nearby Dingling and Yanxian counties.

There is a cold logic in Liu Xiu's actions and his choice to essentially place his men on what Sun Tzu had termed, "Death Ground." Because Liu feared that the still yet undisciplined Han rebels will not stand a chance against the Xin soldiery, this way it will ensure that they last as long as they can without a path of retreat. Wang Yi, the Xin commander,  was confident of his overwhelming numbers, and proclaimed that his army would "annihilate all in his path, massacre the town, and dance in its blood." 

In order to drive out the defenders, the Xin army immediately began to deploy an array of siege weapons around the castle. Tunnels, siege towers (Cloud Wagons), and earthen ramps were quickly set up around Kunyang and soon the invaders began to probe Liu Xiu's defenders. But despite these forays, Liu Xiu's men resisted the attacks and held their walls. Soon, weeks flew by, then, several of such weeks. It soon became a long and arduous siege for the Xin army. Despite their numbers, they were made to wait in drudgery and in time their morale significantly deteriorated. However, on July 7 (other sources say June 1), a new army appeared beyond the horizon. It was Liu Xiu, and he had returned with reinforcements of 10,000 footmen and cavalry- Wancheng was just taken by the Han and all of the soldiers marched behind him.

Music: Liu Bei (蜀道之难)

THE HOUR OF DESTINY 

At this time, the Xin army had exhausted itself after nearly a month of bloody siege. They were still deployed all around the walls of Kunyang. However, by contrast, Liu Xiu's selected men were some of the best that the Han army had mustered, and before Wang Yi and the other Xin generals could make out the full strength of his forces, Liu Xiu personally led over 1,000 elites forward and ordered an all out assault against all of the Xin camps that radiated around the walls. According to the "Book of Han" the relief vanguard achieved a quick number of victories with Liu Xiu and his vanguard having dashed and decapitated several thousands of Xin troops. Seeing the damage the Han relief forces were able to inflict upon the Xin besiegers, the morale of Han solders in Kunyang soared.

As a masterstroke of his dizzying attack, Liu Xiu ordered that 3,000 of his elite soldiers circle to the rear of the Xin forces, bypassing most of the smaller Xin garrisons they encountered and launch a deep attack against Wang Yi's main camp.

To compound the ever dire situation, Xin leadership was paralyzed at assessing the true scale of damage done to the whole of the Xin army. Wang Yi and Wang Xun did not initially believe the damage that such a small relief could have caused and did not order the other forces entrenched around Kunyang to join the battle. The lack of orders proved to be fatal for the Xin. As such, despite the overwhelming number of Xin troops, many did not join up and rescue each other from the Han. Annoyed and still unaware of the precious loss of their initiative, Wang Yi and Wang Xun blindly rallied some 10,000 soldiers around them to try to stabilize the situation. They were met by none other than Liu Xiu in battle. 

Liu Xiu's vanguard crashed directly into Wang Yi and Wang Xun's host, within moments, Liu's men (some accounts stated that Liu Xiu personally) slew Wang Xun from his horse. With the slaying of one of the chief commanders of the Xin army, the emboldened Han army in Kunyang sallied out en masse. Thousands more of Xin troops were crushed and broken by the Han relief and the Han sallied forces, and soon, the stunned Xin army began to desert from the battlefield. Xin bagage trains were looted and whole block of units fled away in droves.

But it was right at this moment of calamity, it would seemed that heaven itself turned against the Xin army as well. The sky suddenly darkened and a storm broke over the fleeing Xin soldiers. Soon, the massive downpour turned into a raging flash flood and washed away over 10,000 of Xin deserters. Even with this staggering victory, Liu Xiu still did not relent. Having ordered 3,000 of his relief cavalry to hound the fleeing Xin army, the Han cavalry chased Wang Yi's forces in a long pursuit until the Xin army completely disintegrated.

In the end, unable to gather most of his men, Wang Yi had to withdraw with the remaining several thousand men back to Luoyang. And like a dire omen, the Han army would show up again over his horizon. Soon, news reported that rebellions had erupted in virtually all part of the empire, with many Xin officials either slain or declaring their loyalty to the ascending Han. The ascension of the Han was nothing less than guaranteed while the back of Xin was irreparably broken.

THE BLAZING COLLAPSE OF THE XIN DYNASTY

Kunyang all but ensured that the Han would return to their power. Seizing the momentum, the puppet Gengshi Emperor then commissioned two armies, one led by Wang Kuang, one to take Luoyang, and the other led by Shentu Jian (申屠建) and Li Song (李松), targeting Chang An directly. All the populace on the way gathered, welcomed , and joined the Han forces. Shentu and Li quickly reached the outskirts of Chang An. The rebels sacked the capital on 4 October, 23. In response, the young men within Chang An also rose up and stormed Weiyang Palace , the main imperial palace.

The end came brutally for Wang Mang. Wang died in the battle at the palace, as did his daughter Princess Huanghuang (the former empress of Han). After Wang died, the crowd fought over the right to have the credit for having killed Wang, and a dozen soldiers died in the ensuing fight. Wang's body was cut into pieces, and his head was delivered to the provisional Han capital at Wancheng  to be hung on the city wall.

THE BRIEF HAN RESTORATION

Music: A World Betrayed (负天下人)

After Wang Mang's death, Liu Xuan, the puppet Gengshi Emperor moved his capital from Wancheng  to Luoyang. He then issued edicts to the entire empire, promising to allow Xin local officials who submitted to him to keep their posts. For a brief period, nearly the entire empire showed at least nominal submission—even including the other powerful Red Eyebrow Rebels who wanted to curie favor with the restored Han regime. For a moment, it would seemed that an auspicious age had returned, one, fulfilled by the prophecy. However, the inexperienced Gengshi emperor proved that he was not only a weak willed and easily influenced character, but he was also very paranoid as well. 

Gengshi Emperor- who had long remained fearful of Liu Yan's capabilities and keenly aware that many of Liu Yan's followers were angry that he was not made emperor. One, Liu Ji (刘稷), was particularly critical of Gengshi Emperor. Gengshi Emperor thus arrested Liu Ji and wanted to execute him, but Liu Yan tried to intercede on the man's behalf. The Gengshi Emperor took this opportunity and beheaded Liu Yan as well. With Liu Yan's death, Liu Xiu had lost all of his blood-born brothers. The dark mood struck by Liu Yans' death beckoned that soon the realm would unravel itself again in chaos. 

~

With the execution of his brother and patriarch to the branch of his clan- Liu Xiu, the only brother we are left with: the man of the hour, the savior of Kunyang, who had only wanted to stay a farmer in Chongling must now again wade into the tides of war. Stay tuned for the next chapter in the career of Liu Xiu, where he would make make his first strides as the Shining Martial Emperor- the true salvator of the Han dynasty.

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Eastern Han: PART ONE- Rebel

Eastern Han: PART TWO- General

Eastern Han: PART THREE- Warlord

Eastern Han: PART FOUR- Emperor