Li Yu’s dying wish was to be buried locally in the mountains outside Guangde City. In the end, Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and Li Xiu sent people to Guangde City to escort their father Li Yu’s coffin to Sitian Dun together with Yao Xishui, Yun Pozi and others.
Li Pu and Li Xiu planned to select a burial site on Jinzhong Ridge to inter Li Yu. The weather was still quite hot at this time, and the road back to Hongzhou might not open for who knew how long, so they could only temporarily bury him in this foreign land. Perhaps after a few years, they could retrieve the remains and rebury them back in Hongzhou.
On August 12th, already the sixth day since the Chishan Army captured Langxi City and the eve of Li Yu’s burial, Feng Liao and Yuan Guowei rushed to Sitian Dun to pay their respects.
After Zhang Ping and Yuan Guowei handed over negotiations with Gu Zhilong and the various Xuanzhou families to Han Wenhuan and Han Daochang, not only did they quickly leave Xuancheng and return to Langxi, but Han Jun was also able to escape from Xuancheng yesterday and came to Sitian Dun together with them this time.
Besides paying respects to Li Yu, Han Jun’s main purpose was to bring Fu Mo and Zhou Yuanhe to meet Xinchang Marquis Li Pu to discuss Gu Zhilong and the various Xuanzhou families pledging allegiance to Yueyang—however, harboring resentment in his heart, Han Jun didn’t enter Langxi City, much less go see Han Qian. Instead, after meeting with Feng Liao and Yuan Guowei east of Langxi City with Fu Mo and Zhou Yuanhe, he came directly to Sitian Dun.
Though Han Qian had many troops and generals, in terms of status in Yueyang, Xinchang Marquis Li Pu was still slightly higher than Han Qian.
Even without mentioning Han Qian’s unauthorized attack on Langxi City, besides Han Wenhuan and Han Daochang, Gu Zhilong and the various Xuanzhou families were all more willing to negotiate with Xinchang Marquis Li Pu.
Han Qian was also more willing to hide behind the scenes, hoping Li Pu would lead the more specific matters of recruitment and pacification.
Thinking about it now, as Pacification and Liaison Envoy, Xinchang Marquis Li Pu had the authority to recruit and accept allegiance. Han Wenhuan and Han Daochang traveling all the way from Yueyang was rather redundant, but who could have anticipated beforehand that Han Qian would be ruthless enough to use his uncle and grandfather as bait?
Although Sitian Dun had a prosperous trading port, it originally centered on Xu Family Stockade and, together with the surrounding villages, housed only two or three thousand people.
When the Qiuhu Army withdrew south, they brought over twenty thousand Lishui County residents crowding into Sitian Dun.
The Qiuhu Army had occupied Sitian Dun for less than a month. The grain they had previously captured and carried had not yet been exhausted, so the twenty thousand-plus Lishui County residents could still get by. Within Xu Family Stockade, the sons and daughters of various families could still powder their faces and wear fine clothes, presenting a kind of distorted prosperity.
“The Marquis and General Li are truly capable administrators, actually managing to organize little Xu Family Stockade so well—not something ordinary people could accomplish.” When Li Xiu and Yao Xishui came out of the stockade to welcome everyone into Xu Family Stockade, Han Jun couldn’t help but praise them after seeing the scene inside.
After arriving, Han Jun had gone directly to Guangde Stockade and hadn’t yet come to Sitian Dun, which was located between Jinzhong Ridge and Xuanjiao Ridge at the southeastern foot of Jieling Mountain. Walking into Xu Family Stockade and seeing it crowded with people, with the Qiuhu Army’s forces further expanded to five thousand troops in neat formation, he thought to himself why the Qiuhu Army hadn’t fought for glory instead of letting all the prestige be seized by that bastard Han Qian.
Facing Han Jun’s praise, Li Xiu found it somewhat grating, thinking that with the Prince’s Manor’s resources, if they couldn’t even manage a single stockade well, wouldn’t that be utterly shameful?
Li Xiu merely led the way expressionlessly, saying: “Commander Han and all the lords, please come this way.”
Yao Xishui had remained in Yueyang serving beside the Dowager Consort, and Han Jun was Deputy Commander of the Cishou Palace Guards, so they had interacted frequently. In her heart, she knew Han Jun’s praise for Xinchang Marquis, Li Xiu and others for managing Xu Family Stockade well held no sarcasm—he simply was even more unwilling to acknowledge the Chishan Army’s brilliant military achievements.
Indeed, who could have imagined beforehand that Han Qian could lead a bunch of peasants to block the advancing Xuanzhou troops and Chuzhou Army and capture Langxi City? Even though the Chishan Army suffered extremely heavy casualties across the three battlefields, from now on who would dare ignore the Chishan Army’s existence?
Although several days had passed, Yao Xishui still hadn’t recovered from her deep shock.
Not long ago, although Han Qian’s reputation had risen, even those who more clearly understood the internal affairs of the Jingxiang campaign and the feudal reduction campaign still tended to believe Han Qian was better at deep cunning calculations, tended to believe Han Qian lacked the grand bearing of an army commander. Before capturing Langxi, no one believed the Chishan Army, merely a ragtag mob, truly had the strength to conquer a fortified city.
Even from the moment Han Qian conscripted servants and slaves into the army and made enemies of the aristocratic clans, Yao Xishui had always felt that if Han Qian continued being so domineering and arrogant, he would eventually take a great fall—but this time she was disappointed again.
Of course, after capturing Langxi City, Yao Xishui inwardly hoped more that Han Qian would become arrogant with success and carried away with pride, hoped his attitude toward the aristocratic clans would become more domineering and forceful. She hadn’t expected that at the very moment Han Qian should be most flamboyant and domineering, he actually knew to restrain himself.
Yao Xishui’s heart was shrouded in enormous shadow, worried that if the Great Chu situation continued developing under Han Qian’s guidance, would her elder brother still have any possibility of replacing the Yang clan to become the overlord of Jianghuai, much less one day lead troops north to crush the Liang Emperor’s clan to ashes and avenge their blood feud from years past?
…
…
“Where is Minister Zhang Ping?” After Li Xiu and Yao Xishui led Feng Liao, Yuan Guowei, Zhou Yuanhe, Fu Mo, Han Jun and others into the side chamber adjacent to the memorial hall, Li Pu assumed that damned Han Qian wouldn’t appear, but how could Zhang Ping also not come to Sitian Dun to pay respects to his elder brother?
Yao Xishui had been quite puzzled when she accompanied Li Xiu out of the stockade to welcome Feng Liao, Han Jun and others, thinking to herself that her adoptive father Zhang Ping was formally appointed by His Highness and Yueyang as Surveillance Commissioner to the Chishan Army. Even if Han Qian was unwilling to show his face, shouldn’t adoptive father represent the Chishan Army in participating in the upcoming negotiations?
Han Qian adopted a very low posture, saying repeatedly he absolutely wouldn’t interfere with the negotiations, but the Marquis would be truly foolish to believe that.
Without negotiation results that Han Qian approved, they didn’t matter, but would Gu Zhilong dare accept and acknowledge them?
Today’s Chishan Army was no longer what it once was!
“Minister Zhang has gone to Anji to take over Anji County affairs!” Yuan Guowei explained.
“Ah, the troops at Jiudu Mountain haven’t moved?” Chen Mingsheng, who was accompanying Li Pu waiting in the memorial hall, was slightly startled hearing this and asked in surprise.
Not only had the Chishan Army successfully captured Langxi, they had also suppressed the Chuzhou Army elite in Liyang so they couldn’t move south. Their military might could be said to be unparalleled at this moment.
Huzhou Regional Inspector Huang Hua worried that Anji County seat, located on the west side of Huzhou and surrounded on three sides by mountains at the northeastern foot of Fuyu Mountain, could easily be sealed off by the Chishan Army advancing to Jiudu Mountain and Xianshan Lake. The day after Langxi City was captured, he withdrew the three thousand provincial battalion troops stationed in Anji.
After Huzhou Regional Inspector Huang Hua abandoned Anji County, over these two days the large and small clan families of Anji County had also fled in panic. Apart from small and medium-sized poor commoners, Anji was almost an empty city.
Of course, they weren’t clear on Han Qian’s attitude and hadn’t dared randomly send troops to occupy Anji City. After all, at this time only the Chishan Army was qualified to occupy Anji County—at least when the Chishan Army’s military might was at its peak, no one dared conflict with Han Qian. Moreover, they all knew Han Qian was truly not to be trifled with.
With the Chishan Army’s troops at Jiudu Mountain unmoved and no sign of Chishan Army forces elsewhere being transferred to the eastern front, Chen Mingsheng didn’t know what Zhang Ping relied on to recover Anji City.
“Minister Zhang just took a few attendants to Anji City, without deploying troops from Jiudu Mountain to accompany him!” Yuan Guowei said.
Not to mention Li Pu, Chen Mingsheng, Yao Xishui, Yun Pozi and others—even Zhou Yuanhe, Fu Mo and the others who had traveled with Yuan Guowei, Feng Liao and Han Jun to Sitian Dun were all shocked, mouths gaping, not knowing what to say.
Zhang Ping was a eunuch official who had held low-level eunuch positions as Inner Temple Administrator in the palace in his early years without making a name for himself. Later he served as an inner minister beside the Third Prince, then in his capacity as inner minister served as Surveillance Commissioner in the Wuling Army and Chishan Army, becoming known to people, but he had no particular achievements that the world would remember.
Before the battle of Langxi, Zhou Yuanhe and Fu Mo had never encountered Zhang Ping. They hadn’t expected that a mere eunuch official would have such courage!
Although intimidated by the Chishan Army’s prestige, the Huzhou troops and the clan families of Anji County—the vast majority had withdrawn from Anji City, leaving an empty city—but among those present, who would dare take just a few people into Anji City to assume military and administrative authority?
And who had the confidence that with just a few people they could straighten out the currently chaotic military and administrative affairs of Anji?
Of course, if Zhang Ping could gain a foothold in Anji and successfully take over Anji County affairs, the benefits to the Chishan Army were obvious. It meant Han Qian could not only obtain more resources and territory from the eastern front but could also further reduce the garrison at Jiudu Mountain and Xianshan Lake, strengthening military power on the western front to firmly suppress the Chuzhou Army north of Jieling Mountain so they dared not move south!
Yun Pozi glanced at Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and smiled slightly, saying: “Minister Zhang is truly devoting himself to working for Commander-in-Chief Han now!”
Although Yun Pozi, when serving as Surveillance Commissioner in the Shengzhou Regional Military Commissioner’s office in his early years, didn’t directly participate in the Shenling Bureau’s Jianghuai branch training spies and didn’t know details of the Shenling Bureau’s spy roster and covert operations in the Jianghuai region, these days at Guangde Stockade, he would have to be blind not to have seen through Zhang Ping’s identity.
At this moment he couldn’t help but mock Li Pu for clearly having someone like Zhang Ping under his command yet being unable to win him over, instead letting him risk his life working for Han Qian and the Chishan Army.
Li Pu’s face darkened. In front of Zhou Yuanhe, Fu Mo and others, he couldn’t say anything convenient. After leading everyone into the memorial hall to pay respects, he had people arrange for Zhou Yuanhe, Fu Mo and others to rest in a side courtyard first, keeping only Feng Liao, Yuan Guowei, Han Jun and others to continue talking in the left side chamber of the memorial hall.
Li Pu didn’t play games with Feng Liao either. He also knew Yuan Guowei was loyal to His Highness, while Feng Liao truly represented Han Qian. He said: “Minister Feng, there are no outsiders here. What exactly is Commander-in-Chief Han thinking? You must give us a definite answer, otherwise this matter will drag on with no way to negotiate!”
Feng Liao swept his eyes over everyone present. At this point he no longer pretended and immediately laid out Han Qian’s requirements.
Gu Zhilong had ambition, but his ambition currently was merely to obtain higher rank and power within Great Chu. At least for now he had no intention of carving out territory as a warlord, much less anything else.
The previous judgment that Gu Zhilong absolutely couldn’t possibly pledge allegiance to Yueyang easily was mainly because in the eyes of most people, the Chishan Army was just a ragtag mob that severely lacked supplies. Most people believed the Chishan Army could only survive by heading east and fighting desperately with the local forces of Huzhou and Hangzhou.
Under these circumstances, many people didn’t believe Yueyang had the possibility of determining Great Chu’s future. How would they think of cooperating with a ragtag mob under Yueyang’s banner south of Jinling?
However, once the Chishan Army displayed its sharp fangs and demonstrated sufficiently formidable combat power, making Gu Zhilong truly recognize that Third Prince Yang Yuanpu had hope and possibility of ascending to the throne and ruling Great Chu’s realm, making Gu Zhilong see the serious consequences of not making a choice now, Gu Zhilong’s allegiance was not such a difficult thing to imagine.
Moreover, Gu Zhilong had never formally stood in opposition to Yueyang. At any moment, pledging allegiance to Yueyang was still timely. Even this time, it was Gu Zhilong who fell into a trap—he hadn’t revealed any clear stance.
However, if Gu Zhilong could truly pledge allegiance wholeheartedly and no longer waver, there was no need to worry at all that the Third Prince would settle accounts with him after ascending to the throne or break faith with him.
It was truly a choice without any psychological burden.
As long as the Chuzhou Army or Anning Palace didn’t forcefully intervene, no one felt that recruiting Gu Zhilong’s allegiance would be a particularly difficult matter.
In fact, at this point, what needed to be discussed more was the distribution of military and administrative power and interests south of Jinling between the Chishan Army and the pledging Gu Zhilong as well as Xinchang Marquis Li Pu and the Qiuhu Army, along with the military and political tasks they would need to undertake.
In this process, they also needed to ensure sufficient constraints on Gu Zhilong to prevent any possibility of him changing sides, while also giving Gu Zhilong sufficient sense of security.
Han Qian’s most core requirements—the first point was to jointly petition Yueyang with Xinchang Marquis Li Pu to agree to separate Langxi, Guangde and Anji counties and establish a Commissioner’s Office outside of Xuanzhou and Huzhou to settle the Chishan Army’s two hundred thousand-plus family members. As for the Dragon Sparrow Army’s original military household family members, after recovering Jinling they could be moved back to Taowu Stockade for settlement.
After Xuanzhou pledged allegiance, it would belong to Hunan Executive Secretariat along with Guangde, Langxi and Anji. Temporarily disregarding Anji County, those people who had previously fled from Guangde and Langxi counties could return to reclaim their fields and properties—Han Qian had no excuse to forbid this.
However, if Han Qian permitted this, then the land grants to Chishan Army soldiers and settlement of family members would be abandoned halfway.
To resolve this contradiction, Han Qian considered that the Han family had previously sold 140,000 mu of land cheaply to various families in Xuanzhou. As the sole son of the third branch, he had sufficient reason to redeem one-third of these fields and properties.
Additionally, the Feng family had over 170,000 mu of fields and properties in Ningguo, Xuancheng and other counties that were confiscated during the Imperial Mausoleum case, currently mainly public property belonging to prefectures and counties.
Han Qian demanded that Xuanzhou take out these two portions of fields and properties to settle the large households that fled from Guangde and Langxi before the war, to resolve the land disputes that might arise after Xuanzhou pledged allegiance to Yueyang, and also allow the Chishan Army’s land grants and family settlement in Guangde and Langxi to continue.
Besides this, the second requirement Han Qian defined was for Li Pu to lead the Qiuhu Army westward, and after absorbing the Xuanzhou troops, advance northwest from Xuancheng in a show of force.
As for how Li Pu and Gu Zhilong would compromise with each other, how their power would be distributed and balanced after the Xuanzhou troops were absorbed into the Qiuhu Army—Han Qian’s side wouldn’t interfere.
Han Qian also believed that with Li Pu’s cautious nature, there was no need to worry the Qiuhu Army would suffer backlash from Gu Zhilong and the various Xuanzhou families.
“During the Jinling Incident, Lord Daoxun died under brutal torture, yet even at execution he was concerned about the people’s livelihood under war’s devastation. The Commander-in-Chief came to Jinling also for Lord Daoxun’s dying wish. After this matter is concluded, the Commander-in-Chief will return to Xuzhou for mourning observances. Please, lords, do not worry about this!” Feng Liao finally said.
Xinchang Marquis Li Pu wouldn’t believe even if beaten to death that after recovering Jinling, Han Qian would obediently hand over military authority and return to Xuzhou to continue mourning. But he had to admit that the two requirements Han Qian proposed weren’t too excessive and were even quite beneficial to them, equivalent to handing over the initiative in subsequent recruitment matters to him.
Feng Liao still had matters requiring his return to Guangde Stockade. The remaining matters were left to Xinchang Marquis Li Pu to discuss with Yuan Guowei, Han Jun, Yao Xishui, Wei Zhen, Li Xiu, Chen Mingsheng and others.
“What do you all think?” Li Pu looked toward Wei Zhen, Yao Xishui, Li Xiu, Han Jun and others. Though he knew Yuan Guowei was loyal to His Highness, Yuan Guowei and Jiang Huo had gotten too close to Han Qian—he no longer trusted Yuan Guowei.
“The Chishan Army suffered considerable casualties and urgently needs to reorganize. That’s why they hope the Qiuhu Army, after absorbing the Xuanzhou troops, can take the lead, right?” Chen Mingsheng pondered for a moment and said hesitantly. “There’s nothing wrong with this, but will Gu Zhilong agree to have the remaining Xuanzhou troops merge into the Qiuhu Army?”
That the Chuzhou Army elite had twice suffered setbacks at the hands of the Chishan Army—poorly equipped troops composed of a bunch of peasants—and were now suppressed in Liyang not daring to move south, greatly reduced Chen Mingsheng’s fear of the Chuzhou Army and Prince Xin. He secretly regretted that during the Chishan Army’s attack on Langxi City, they should have also taken initiative to attack. If they had now also captured a city or territory, they would look much better.
By absorbing the Xuanzhou troops, the Qiuhu Army could formally expand to over fifteen thousand troops, stationed in Xuancheng or slightly north of Xuancheng, standing alongside the Chishan Army to become a force truly capable of influencing the Jinling situation. Not just Chen Mingsheng—Li Xiu, Li Qi, Wei Huang and other generals all felt eager to try, but the problem was would Gu Zhilong accept such conditions?
“After the Xuanzhou troops merge into the Qiuhu Army, we’ll appoint Gu Zhilong as Commander!” Xinchang Marquis Li Pu said magnanimously. “In Tianyou’s eleventh year, Gu Zhilong was still leading troops in southern Zhejiang fighting the Min Army. I must admit he would command the Qiuhu Army more skillfully than I would…”
Regarding the conditions Han Qian had defined, Li Pu pondered how he and Gu Zhilong should compromise to reach agreement while being able to trust each other with peace of mind. The best plan was for him to replace Gu Zhilong as Xuanzhou Regional Inspector, then move the prefectural seat further south to Ningguo City closer to the depths of Yishan Mountain.
This way he could demand that Gu Zhilong and the various families move their family members to Ningguo City for protection.
This would ensure Gu Zhilong couldn’t change sides.
With the Xuanzhou troops merging into the Qiuhu Army—where Xuanzhou’s side predominated in troop strength, generals and military officers—if Gu Zhilong replaced him as Qiuhu Army Commander-in-Chief, it could basically ensure Gu Zhilong truly controlled command of the Qiuhu Army without worrying about being overshadowed by the two deputy generals Li Xiu and Chen Mingsheng.
As Commander-in-Chief of an army, the official position and authority were higher than a regional inspector. After all, since the previous dynasty, with the wide establishment of prefectures and counties, Great Chu’s prefectures were completely different from the prefectures of the Qin and Han periods.
Among Great Chu’s fifty-plus prefectures, regional inspectors were appointed by civil and military officials of upper fifth rank or lower fourth rank.
As for the hereditary Duke reward that Yang Yuanpu proposed in Yueyang, Li Pu now no longer wanted to mention it. He believed that even if Gu Zhilong knew of this matter, he had no face to request the hereditary Duke reward now.
Whether Langxi fell or not made an enormous difference in circumstances for Gu Zhilong.
Li Pu’s willingness to hand over military authority at this time was not only because as Pacification and Liaison Envoy he still retained authority to command the Qiuhu Army, but more importantly because successfully recruiting Gu Zhilong and the Xuanzhou troops would pave the way for recruiting She and Rao prefectures as well as Hongzhou Regional Inspector, Prince of Yuzhang Yang Zhitang.
This was what he was skilled at. He also didn’t want all the more important recruitment achievements that followed to be earned by Han Wenhuan and his son Han Daochang.
He was the legitimate Pacification and Liaison Envoy!
“The Han clan’s fields and properties in Xuanzhou—taking out one-third this time for exchange at no cost to settle the Chishan Army’s soldiers and family members also has no problem?” Yao Xishui glanced at Han Jun and asked.
Han Jun said through gritted teeth: “No problem.”
Looking at Han Jun’s expression, Li Pu guessed that Han Qian should have already had Zhang Ping or Yuan Guowei communicate with Han Wenhuan beforehand about this matter and obtained Han Wenhuan’s consent.
These fields and properties were originally sold cheaply by the Han family to various Xuanzhou families following the Late Emperor’s instructions. The money obtained was mainly used to fund the Third Prince’s military campaign against Tanzhou. Redeeming them at original price naturally presented no problem—it was just that during the Jinling Incident circumstances changed unpredictably and there was no time to do it.
Though Han Wenhuan was aged and declining, after all he was still family head. Since he had consented, for Han Qian as Han Wenhuan’s legitimate grandson to be willing to divide one-third of the fields and properties for appropriate exchange naturally also presented no problem.
However, Yao Xishui asking Han Jun this question at this time was probably also to confirm that Han Daochang and Han Jun hadn’t submitted to Han Qian because of his forcefulness, right?
A divided Han family was ultimately a situation everyone was happy to see—otherwise it would truly be too troublesome.
As for Han Wenhuan, he was already seventy-six years old. After going through this ordeal, Li Pu believed he probably didn’t have many years left to live?
Li Pu discussed many details with Wei Zhen, Chen Mingsheng and others. After confirming there were no issues, he asked Yuan Guowei: “What does Old Lord Yuan think? If there are no problems, I’ll have Lord Wei invite Lord Zhou and Lord Fu to come discuss important matters.”
“All matters are at the Marquis’s discretion.” Yuan Guowei sighed slightly in his heart, knowing what compromises Han Qian and the Chishan Army had made to unite as many forces as possible and pacify the Jinling chaos as quickly as possible. As long as Li Pu could quickly reach agreement with Gu Zhilong and achieve Han Qian’s expected goals, he naturally had no objections.
When Zhou Yuanhe and Fu Mo came over and heard Li Pu mention the absorption matters, they also felt there were no major problems, but ultimately they still had to rush back and have Gu Zhilong make the decision.
Finally, Li Pu asked Wei Zhen and Han Jun to accompany Zhou Yuanhe and Fu Mo to Xuancheng to see Gu Zhilong, striving to finalize this matter in the shortest time.
As long as Gu Zhilong consented, he would directly lead the Qiuhu Army to station at Jilong Mountain north of Xuancheng. After that, they would wait for further edicts from Yueyang to confirm matters of title and rank, then send people to Shezhou, Raozhou, Hongzhou…