A Foothold in Xindu
After their grueling flight through Hebei, Liu Xiu and his exhausted band were warmly welcomed into Xindu by Governor Ren Guang and Pi Tong of Hucheng. There, they convened to plan the campaign against the false emperor Wang Lang. Pi Tong urged bold action: “If the Grand Marshal raises his banner, the men of Xindu and Hucheng will rally to you – and Wang Lang can be crushed.”
Liu Xiu acted swiftly. Using his authority as Grand Marshal, he mustered 4,000 elite troops. Ren Guang issued a proclamation declaring Wang Lang an impostor who had “deceived the people and committed high treason,” and announced that Liu Xiu was leading a million-strong army from the east. It promised amnesty to those who surrendered and death to resisters. Copies were distributed by cavalry across Julu and surrounding regions. Panic spread through Wang Lang’s ranks; morale crumbled before a single battle was fought.
The Fall of the False Emperor
Liu Xiu captured nearby counties, swelling his forces as local warlords flocked to his cause. Generous with titles, he appointed new allies as generals and even marquises. Within weeks, his army grew to over 100,000. He marched on Julu, but after a month-long siege with reinforcements from Liu Xuan’s (Gengshi Emperor) forces, the city held firm.
Adopting a strategic shift, Liu Xiu left a detachment at Julu and led the main force straight for Handan, Wang Lang’s capital. After a series of victories, Wang Lang’s defenders opened the gates. Liu Xiu entered the palace, executed Wang Lang, and sent Liu Lin fleeing into obscurity.
Inside the palace archives, he found stacks of letters – local officials and gentry pledging loyalty to Wang Lang and denouncing Liu Xiu. To everyone’s astonishment, he burned them all. “Let this ease their minds,” he said. His magnanimity won hearts across Hebei. (sidenote: Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms followed this way after the Battle of Guandu)
The “General Under the Tree”
As Liu Xiu reorganized his swelling army, soldiers repeatedly requested assignment to the “General Under the Tree.” Puzzled, Liu Xiu learned it was Feng Yi’s nickname. Modest to a fault, Feng Yi never boasted of his deeds. While other generals argued over credit around campfires, he would slip away to sit quietly beneath a tree. Liu Xiu, deeply moved by this humility, held him in even higher esteem.
The Offer of Kingship – and Refusal
With Wang Lang dead, Liu Xuan sent envoys to confer on Liu Xiu the title of Prince of Xiao and ordered him to disband his army and return to Chang’an. His officers were outraged: “Liu Xuan lounges in luxury while the empire fractures! You’ve pacified Hebei – declare yourself emperor, and the world will follow!”
But Liu Xiu silenced them. To the envoys, he replied calmly: “Wang Lang is gone, but Hebei is not yet at peace. I cannot leave.” Once the envoys departed, he made his decision: he would stay in Hebei and build his own power base.
Taming the Warlords of Hebei
Hebei was awash with rebel bands – peasant armies turned warlord factions. The largest was the Copper Horse Army, named for their emblem. Their leaders bore strange names like Dongshan Huangtu (“Bald Hill of the East”) and Shanghuai Kuang. They fought like guerrillas – swift, elusive, and decentralized. Dozens of similar groups roamed the land: Chengtou Zilu, Xiao Sanlao, and others, each claiming territory and plundering at will.
Recognizing their disunity, Liu Xiu adopted a strategy of “ally with some, crush others.” He first reached out to Chengtou Zilu, offering partnership. Flattered, the warlord pledged allegiance – and others followed. Liu Xiu won them over with generosity, appointing their leaders as officials and treating them with respect. His reputation soared.
The Decisive Campaign Against the Copper Horse
In autumn 24 CE, Liu Xiu confronted the Copper Horse Army near Shulu (east of modern Shijiazhuang). Knowing their strength, he avoided direct engagement, fortified his camp, and sent a detachment to sever their supply lines. After a month of starvation, the rebels retreated – and Liu Xiu struck, winning a crushing victory.
When they regrouped for a counterattack, Liu Xiu met them head-on with concentrated force. The Copper Horse, disorganized and demoralized, collapsed. The entire army – hundreds of thousands – surrendered.
Rather than punish them, Liu Xiu absorbed them whole. He granted their leaders noble titles and allowed them to command their former troops. Loyalty replaced rebellion. A splinter group briefly crowned a man named Sun Deng emperor, but quickly failed and also submitted.
Now master of all Hebei, Liu Xiu commanded an army of hundreds of thousands. His fame spread so far that people in Guanzhong – even under Liu Xuan’s rule – began calling him the “Copper Horse Emperor,” acknowledging that his power stemmed from taming the very rebels who once threatened chaos.
Rivalry Reignited: The Red Eyebrows Turn on Liu Xuan
Establishing Henei Commandery (modern Wuzhi and Qinyang, Henan) as his new base, Liu Xiu prepared to march north into Yan and Zhao. But news arrived from the west: Liu Xuan and the Red Eyebrows were at war.
Earlier, when Liu Xuan moved his court to Luoyang, he had summoned Fan Chong, leader of the Red Eyebrows, to submit. The Red Eyebrows – mostly desperate peasants – had no imperial ambitions. Believing the Han was restored, they halted hostilities. Fan Chong even traveled to Luoyang with twenty chieftains to pledge loyalty.
But Liu Xuan betrayed their trust. He granted Fan Chong an empty noble title but refused to feed or pay the 200,000 Red Eyebrow soldiers. Desertions surged. Disillusioned and furious, Fan Chong escaped back to his army.
Seizing on Liu Xuan’s internal strife and misrule, the Red Eyebrows now resolved to march on Chang’an and seize the throne themselves – setting the stage for the final collapse of the Gengshi regime and the rise of a true Han restorer.
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