Chapter 6: The Emperor's Edict Shakes the World

Although Wang Qing and Tian Hu collectively commanded over two hundred thousand Yellow Turban troops, Li Xiang was not worried in the least.

Firstly, Bingzhou had, over the years, assembled an army of one hundred and fifty thousand. Of these, sixty thousand were stationed with Meng Tian to guard Yanmen, while another thirty thousand were dispersed across Bingzhou, securing various regions.

This meant that sixty thousand troops remained ready to mobilize at any time to confront Wang Qing. Though the enemy’s numbers were vast, they consisted mostly of farmers freshly conscripted from the fields, poorly equipped and severely lacking in combat effectiveness. In contrast, Li Xiang’s forces, though fewer, were elite soldiers, well-trained, fully armored, and formidable in battle.

The reason Bingzhou could maintain such a large army was naturally through the implementation of the tuntian system. As someone from a later era, Li Xiang readily adopted policies proven effective in history, especially those suited to the times.

For Li Xiang, the priority was strengthening his own position; plagiarism was of no concern, as notions of intellectual property and patents did not exist during the Three Kingdoms period.

Among historical precedents, the tuntian system pioneered by Cao Cao was Li Xiang’s prime choice. After all, Cao Cao transformed the devastated Yan Province from repeated warfare into the dominant power during the Three Kingdoms—an achievement to which the tuntian policy greatly contributed.

Historically, Zao Zhi is renowned for introducing the tuntian system, which resolved the long-standing grain supply crisis for Cao Cao.

Since the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, brutal exploitation by landlords, ongoing conflicts among powerful warlords, and widespread land seizures had severely disrupted agriculture in northern China. Villages were left in chaos, with land ownership and residence constantly changing. Starvation was rampant, refugees roamed everywhere, and society was plunged into turmoil.

Many warlords suffered defeat due to severe food shortages. Even Cao Cao, in his early campaigns, often had to retreat mid-battle because his supply lines failed, abandoning victories within reach. Some unofficial records even claim that during his darkest days, Cao Cao resorted to using meat porridge as military rations, underscoring the gravity of the food crisis.

Zao Zhi’s appearance changed everything. He proposed that Cao Cao cultivate land around Xuchang, integrating soldiers with farmers in a unified effort—tuntian—to resolve the food shortage. Cao Cao heeded this advice and appointed Zao Zhi as Commandant of the Tuntian, granting him full responsibility.

Zao Zhi did not disappoint. The implementation of tuntian quickly restored the war-ravaged northern agriculture. Dispossessed farmers returned to their fields; many barren lands were reclaimed, and Cao Wei accumulated vast grain reserves, securing a vital foundation for future conflicts.

Putting the tuntian aside for now, let us return to Wang Qing’s matter.

Another reason Li Xiang was unconcerned about Wang Qing’s threat was the existence of the Taihang Eight Paths. With these in place, the Yellow Turban army Wang Qing gathered from neighboring provinces could not penetrate Bingzhou. Meanwhile, Tian Hu’s forces within Bingzhou were reduced to a mere remnant and posed no real threat.

Previously, when dealing with Wang Qing and Tian Hu, Li Xiang had intentionally held back for various reasons. That did not mean the opponents suffered no losses, however. In fact, Tian Hu’s forces hiding inside Bingzhou were now reduced to just over ten thousand scattered remnants.

At this point, Tian Hu was hardly capable of coordinating with Wang Qing to threaten Bingzhou.

Just as Li Xiang prepared to mobilize against Wang Qing’s Yellow Turban army, a decree from the imperial court in Luoyang—more precisely, from Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong—shattered all his plans.

Anyone pushed to the brink would unleash untold potential to save themselves; Emperor Ling was no exception.

Faced with the Han dynasty’s dire straits, despite having the full support of the Han aristocracy, the Yellow Turban rebellion showed no sign of abating. In desperation, Emperor Ling finally panicked.

No ruler, no matter how foolish, wishes to be the sovereign under whom a kingdom falls—Emperor Ling was no different.

With the empire on the verge of collapse, Emperor Ling devised a desperate measure, though it was hardly a sound solution.

He first granted the regional governors of thirteen provinces greater military and administrative authority, allowing local magnates to recruit private militias to assist official troops in suppressing the Yellow Turbans.

Perhaps even this was insufficient to quell the rebellion. Soon after, he issued another edict: abolish the position of provincial inspector and establish provincial governors from among royal kin and trusted ministers, placing them above the inspectors and prefects to consolidate power and stabilize the populace.

Yet what stunned everyone most was not the decree itself, but Emperor Ling’s subsequent actions.

Following the edict, six provincial governors were appointed in quick succession. Liu Biao was made Governor of Jingzhou; Liu Yao of Yangzhou; Liu Yu of Youzhou; and Li Yang of Bingzhou. These four were ordered to gather elite troops and move to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion, leaving only minimal forces behind to maintain order in their provinces.

Next, Lu Zhi was appointed Governor of Jizhou, Huangfu Song Governor of Yuzhou, and Zhu Jun Inspector of Yuzhou, with instructions to combine their forces and concentrate on eliminating the Yellow Turban armies in Jizhou and the Central Plains.

When Emperor Ling’s decree became known, all those with insight were shocked, Li Xiang included.

Emperor Ling was truly fighting with everything he had. Yet Li Xiang had to admit that, in desperate times, this was a bold and potentially effective strategy—a calculated gamble on survival.

By appointing governors to Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou, ostensibly leaving only minimal troops to maintain order, while sending the best soldiers to Jizhou and the Central Plains, the emperor was wagering these four provinces as collateral to concentrate forces where it mattered most.

This was a high-stakes gamble: if won, the Yellow Turbans would be crushed, and the Han dynasty would gain a much-needed reprieve. But if lost, even the eastern Han territories might fall.

The move to abolish inspectors and install governors with full military and civil authority, along with allowing local elites to raise militias, was likely intended to tie down the Yellow Turbans in those four provinces, preventing their interference with the main battlefields.

Historically, the abolition of inspectors in favor of governors was proposed by the royal relative Liu Yan, planting the seeds for future warlordism and protracted conflict.

This time, the proposal came directly from Emperor Ling himself. Its future consequences were uncertain, but faced with the immediate crisis, it might just offer the Han dynasty a chance to survive.

Li Xiang reflected inwardly: truly, people are driven to great lengths by desperation. Even an emperor like Ling could conceive such a daring plan.

However, the imperial decree disrupted Li Xiang’s own strategies. Should he mobilize his troops? If so, how many could he send without jeopardizing Bingzhou’s security while satisfying the emperor’s demands? If he marched, should he preserve strength or seek a swift victory?

Suddenly, countless questions confronted Li Xiang, all stemming from Emperor Ling’s mandate.