How Liu Xiu Built His Base in Hebei

In the last episode, Liu Xiu escaped the Gengshi court's close watch by receiving an envoy mission to Hebei.

The appointment gave him legitimacy. It also sent him into a region full of officials, strongmen, and towns that could turn against him at any moment.

He Crossed the Yellow River with Barely More Than a Retinue

Liu Xuan still distrusted him, so Liu Xiu did not go north with a great army.

He crossed the Yellow River with Feng Yi and just over a hundred men.

Wherever he went, he inspected officials, punished or rewarded as needed, abolished Wang Mang's harsh policies, and restored Han office names. Many people welcomed him with food and wine, calling his party the army of the king.

His troops were few. What eased local fear was the Han name and the orderliness of his conduct.

Deng Yu Came to Join Him

At Ye, an old acquaintance arrived from Nanyang.

Deng Yu had studied in Chang'an and had long believed Liu Xiu was no ordinary man. Hearing that Liu Xiu was pacifying Hebei, he came north.

Liu Xiu joked that Deng Yu must have come seeking office.

Deng Yu answered that he had not come for office. He wanted Liu Xiu's virtue and power to reach the four seas and hoped to serve under him.

The meaning was clear. Deng Yu was not really coming for the Gengshi Emperor. He was coming for Liu Xiu.

Hebei Did Not Submit Smoothly

In Handan, Liu Xiu met Geng Chun, a strong local figure from Julu. Liu Xiu treated him with respect, and Geng Chun admired the discipline of his small following.

But Hebei had larger forces at work.

A Liu clan man named Liu Lin suggested breaching the Yellow River dikes to block the Red Eyebrows before they crossed north. Local elites feared the Red Eyebrows would threaten their property.

Liu Xiu refused. He had too few troops and did not want to provoke a disaster he could not control.

Some Hebei strongmen were disappointed and looked for another figure to support.

Wang Lang Claimed to Be a Han Heir

In Handan, a fortune-teller named Wang Lang joined with Liu Lin.

They used a rumor that Emperor Cheng's son Liu Ziyu had survived and presented Wang Lang as that hidden imperial heir. If true, his blood claim would be stronger than the Gengshi Emperor's.

Many people believed the story, especially with rumors that the Red Eyebrows would support him.

In late 23 CE, Wang Lang was proclaimed emperor in Handan. Many Hebei commanderies and counties submitted to him.

Liu Xiu immediately became his enemy.

Liu Xiu Nearly Fled Back South

As Wang Lang's influence spread, Liu Xiu's position grew dangerous.

He considered moving south back toward Henan. Geng Yan, son of the Shanggu administrator Geng Kuang, stopped him. Hebei, he argued, could still be won. Shanggu and Yuyang could provide troops, and with those forces Wang Lang could be attacked.

Liu Xiu accepted the advice and wrote to Yuyang and Shanggu for support.

Then Wang Lang issued a reward of one hundred thousand households for Liu Xiu's head.

Local danger exploded. Liu Xiu had to flee Jicheng through a gate forced open by his men.

Flight Across Hebei Tested the Small Band

Liu Xiu and his followers avoided main roads, short of food and clothing.

At one point Feng Yi found a bowl of bean rice for him. At another, they pretended to be Wang Lang's envoys to get food at a relay station. When the clerk suspected them and tried to frighten them by claiming Handan men had arrived, Liu Xiu recovered his nerve, sat back down, and turned the bluff against him.

At the Hutuo River, they were told the ice had melted and crossing was impossible. Wang Ba, afraid the men would panic, reported that the river was frozen. When they reached it, ice remained just long enough for the group to pass. It began breaking as the last riders crossed.

The imperial envoy was now a fugitive surviving by nerve, luck, and loyal companions.

Xindu Gave Him Shelter

At a crossroads near Xiabo, an old man in white directed Liu Xiu toward Xindu, which still honored the Gengshi regime.

Xindu administrator Ren Guang welcomed him. Pi Tong from Herong also came to meet him.

Some proposed using Xindu troops to escort Liu Xiu west. Pi Tong opposed this. Wang Lang was an impostor, he argued, and Hebei could still be taken. If Liu Xiu abandoned the region now, everything north of the Yellow River would be lost.

Liu Xiu decided to stay.

Momentum Began with Four Thousand Men

Ren Guang could raise only about four thousand troops.

Even so, Liu Xiu moved. Notices were posted exaggerating his strength, claiming that huge armies were coming under his banner. At night his men raised flags, lit fires, and sent riders racing outside city walls to make their numbers look larger.

Some cities surrendered from fear.

Geng Chun brought two thousand men and then burned his own family's houses to cut off his clan's retreat. Liu Xiu praised his resolve.

From a hunted fugitive, Liu Xiu had become a commander with a foothold.

Hebei Became the Foundation

Wang Lang still held Handan, and many places still watched to see who would win.

But Liu Xiu had survived the most dangerous first moment. He had gained men such as Deng Yu, Feng Yi, Geng Yan, Ren Guang, Pi Tong, and Geng Chun. He had learned which local forces could be persuaded and which had to be defeated.

Most importantly, he was no longer merely an envoy of the Gengshi Emperor.

In Hebei, Liu Xiu began building the base from which he would one day restore Han in his own name.