A Fragile Victory and a Fateful Decision
After proclaiming Liu Xuan as the Gengshi Emperor, the Han restoration forces split their efforts: Liu Yan was sent to besiege Wan County once more, while Wang Feng, Wang Chang, and Liu Xiu marched on Kunyang (modern Ye County, Henan). Kunyang, lightly defended, fell quickly, followed by the nearby counties of Dingling and Yancheng. Meanwhile, Liu Yan finally captured Wan after a grueling siege – its formidable commander, Cen Peng, even surrendered.
But news of these victories reached Wang Mang in Chang’an, throwing the aging usurper into panic. Though he feigned calm, his actions betrayed desperation. At sixty-eight, with white hair and beard, he dyed them black, took a teenage bride as empress, filled his harem with beauties, and only then turned to war. He appointed Grand Minister of Works Wang Xun and Grand Minister of Justice Wang Yi to raise a colossal army. They assembled 420,000 troops – boasting a million – and marched south toward Kunyang to crush the rebellion at its root.
The Siege of Kunyang: Courage against Overwhelming Odds
When the Han defenders atop Kunyang’s northern gate saw the endless sea of imperial banners, many despaired. But Liu Xiu rallied them: “This is the decisive moment! If we scatter now, all is lost. True heroes do not falter.” With only 8,000 men inside the city against an initial vanguard of 100,000, Liu Xiu devised a bold plan. He urged Wang Feng and Wang Chang to hold the walls without engaging, while he himself – accompanied only by Li Yi and two others – slipped out through the southern gate under cover of night to summon reinforcements from Dingling and Yancheng.
Though Kunyang was small, its walls were high and strong. Liu Xiu knew it could withstand a siege long enough for help to arrive – if he could convince the garrisons to abandon their cities and join the fight.
The March to Destiny
At Dingling and Yancheng, many officers resisted abandoning their posts. Liu Xiu argued passionately: “Victory at Kunyang means glory and survival; defeat means death for us all. A true leader sees beyond the moment!” To boost morale, he falsely claimed – though unaware of the actual outcome – that “Wan has fallen, and the Grand Minister of Works’ (his elder brother Liu Yan) army is already on its way!” Inspired, the troops abandoned both cities and followed Liu Xiu back to Kunyang with over 1,000 elite cavalry and infantry.
Liu Xiu led this force as vanguard. Just four or five li from the enemy camp, he formed ranks. Wang Xun and Wang Yi, seeing such a tiny force, dispatched only a few thousand men to deal with them.
What followed stunned both armies. Liu Xiu charged first, cutting down several foes in rapid succession. His men, astonished, cried: “He seemed timid before – but now, facing overwhelming odds, he leads the charge! Follow him!” Emboldened, they surged forward, each Han soldier fighting like ten.
Thunder from Heaven, Chaos on Earth
The tide turned swiftly. Wang Xun and Wang Yi committed 10,000 elite troops to crush Liu Xiu’s 3,000 – but even this failed. Their multi-regional levies, lacking coordination, refused to aid one another. In contrast, the Han forces fought as one. Spotting Wang Xun in the center, Han soldiers surrounded him and hacked him to death.
Wang Yi, seeing his co-commander slain, panicked and fled. At that moment, Wang Feng and Wang Chang burst from Kunyang’s gates, launching a two-pronged assault. The imperial army collapsed into chaos – soldiers trampling each other in retreat over a hundred li, leaving corpses strewn across the land.
Then came Wang Mang’s last desperate gambit: the giant warrior Ju Wuba, said to stand over ten feet tall, trained in commanding tigers, leopards, rhinos, and elephants. Appointed a colonel, he led beasts and soldiers painted as wild animals into battle. The Han troops, terrified by roaring predators, momentarily recoiled.
But heaven intervened. Without warning, thunder cracked, and a deluge poured down – rain like “falling beans.” The painted soldiers shivered and fled backward; the beasts stampeded toward Ju Wuba, knocking the giant off balance. He toppled into the river and drowned, weighed down by his own bulk.
Interpreting this as divine favor, the Han army redoubled their pursuit. The imperial host disintegrated like a breached dam. Over 10,000 drowned in the flood of retreat; the rest scattered. Wang Mang’s main army – the backbone of his regime – was annihilated.
Triumph and Treachery
The victory at Kunyang electrified the empire. Across China, local rebels killed officials, declared themselves generals, adopted the Han calendar, and pledged allegiance to the Gengshi Emperor. The Xin dynasty teetered on collapse.
Yet within the Han camp, jealousy festered. Liu Yan and Liu Xiu’s fame after the twin victories at Wan and Kunyang alarmed Liu Xuan. Worse, Liu Yan’s loyalists openly scorned the emperor. One, Liu Ji, declared: “Who does he think he is? How dare he sit on the throne?”
Enraged, Liu Xuan arrested Liu Ji and sentenced him to death. When Liu Yan rushed to plead for his friend, General Zhu Wei accused him of masterminding the defiance. Under pressure, Liu Xuan – asserting his newfound imperial authority – ordered both Liu Yan and Liu Ji executed.
The Mask of Loyalty
Liu Xiu was away when his brother was killed. Upon hearing the news, he wept bitterly – but then dried his tears and hurried to Wan. There, he prostrated himself before Liu Xuan, confessing fault and swearing loyalty. When asked about Kunyang, he deflected all credit: “It was the Emperor’s divine fortune and the soldiers’ valor – I merely shared in their glory.” He wore no mourning clothes, smiled in company, and acted as if nothing had happened.
His humility disarmed suspicion. Guilt-ridden, Liu Xuan not only spared him but promoted him to General Who Breaks the Enemy and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Wuxin – unaware that this quiet, grieving brother would one day become Emperor Guangwu, founder of the Eastern Han.
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